The Football Association of Wales (FAW) may be recognised for its recent success qualifying for major championships but it is also fast becoming known internationally for its coaching qualifications.
The FAW, which employs over 150 coaches across Wales, delivers coaching courses across the globe. The organisation originally began exporting its football coaching qualifications following Wales’ success in the 2016 Euros. The team’s success story led to global interest in European coaching techniques, and particularly the Welsh approach to player development.
Designed to educate candidates in the technical, physical, psychological and social requirements of modern football, the coaching courses work to improve candidates’ ability to plan, prepare, deliver and reflect on coaching sessions to support the development of players. The learning is delivered via online workshops, e-learning and coursework.
Since the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the governing body for Welsh football has seen growing interest in its international coaching programmes, with revenues from overseas courses having trebled in the last year. Exports account for more than £300,000 a year of the FAW’s turnover, with the organisation exporting its qualifications to China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines and the US.
Thanks to a string of new partnerships, the FAW is now set to grow its international trade by 10% year on year up to 2026. The target ties in with a wider expansion strategy to grow in the US market ahead of the 2026 Men’s World Cup being hosted by the US.
Key to the governing body’s export success has been on-the-ground expertise from Welsh Government international trade advisors who have helped identify potential deals overseas and researched local markets for possible challenges.
The FAW also regularly attends international exhibitions as part of various trade missions, which has enabled it to meet new prospective customers across the globe, leading directly to new business.
Nick Davidson, head of business development at FAW, said: “Exporting is something we considered early on with our coaching business, but without the encouragement, financial support and market knowledge of the Welsh Government, we’d still be thinking about it.
“Their expertise in-market has been truly invaluable for us. International trade advisors have saved us time and energy, researching new markets, and their insider knowledge has helped advise us on potential opportunities that have directly led to new deals for us. Take North Carolina – we had no idea how lucrative this market could be for us, but guidance from the Welsh Government opened our eyes to this and enabled us to secure a foothold in the region.”