FIFA and UEFA Instructor Jacques Crevoisier has completed the final book in a series of football coaching manuals that are available to local coaches at all levels.

The 117-page handbook, which forms the basis of ABC Football School’s coaching syllabus, provides coaches with a guideline to coaching players at the Under-16 and Under-18 levels. The book covers topics such as combined attacks, physical preparations, set pieces, tactics and technical matters best suited to Bermudian footballers.

“We have previously published the general Coaching Handbook, the Grassroots to Under-10 book and the Under-12 to Under-14 book and we now turn to the Under-16 to Under-18 age category,” Crevoisier said. “With this age group we are very close to adult football, why nearly all the principles and exercises mentioned in this book are also applicable for senior football.”

ABC head coach, Andrew Bascome, said the final book in the series of football coaching handbooks represents a historic moment for football in Bermuda.

“It puts Bermuda football on a path of self-determination and development possibilities at par with countries like France, Spain, Germany and the UK,’ he said. “It is a great honour to be a part of the team that made this happen.”

Former France Under-18 and Liverpool coach Crevosier published the coaching manuals as part of a three-year commitment as technical advisor for ABC.

Rather than keep all of the coaching knowledge he has gained over the years to himself, Bascome has decided to share his expertise with others in the hope of raising coaching standards at all of the Island’s clubs.

“What I find in Bermuda is that parents are always looking for the better coaching for their kids,” he said. “So you will find parents taking their kids from this club to that club in search of good coaching and what was happening is that one or two clubs were becoming strong and the other clubs were becoming weaker.

“What I have decided, along with Henrik (ABC Director Henrik Schroder) and Jacques, is to educate coaches at all the clubs so the kids can stay put and the parents can have comfort in the clubs within their community. Why not use my influence that I have with Jacques and educate all the coaches so all the kids, no matter where they go to play, can get good, quality coaching. I want good coaches throughout the Island so we can have as many kids as possible receiving good, quality coaching sessions.”

Crevoisier’s coaching handbooks have been embraced by Bermuda Football Association.

“They have endorsed the coaching education as far as part of the process for educating coaches because most of the coaches are also working closely with us (ABC),” Bascome said. “It’s basically a structure and guide as to how training sessions should be run or to deal with the player. But the book I find most fascinating is the coaching handbook because that's a book you can read every day. It tells you the qualities of a coach and how a training session should go.”

Crevoisier is currently on Island conducting a 40 hour long ABC coaching course that is the equivalent to the UEFA ‘C’ License diploma.

As many as 45 local coaches have enrolled in the practical and theory course that commenced earlier this week.

To date some 25 local coaches have obtained the UEFA ‘C’ License equivalence diploma through ABC.

Crevoisier is due to return to Bermuda in September to conduct a UEFA ‘B’ License course for more advanced coaches.

“We will have the usual assessment for around 140 hours,” the Frenchman said. “And with this official diploma the coaches will be able to go everywhere in the US and Europe to coach if that’s what they want to do.”