Coach Licensing in Africa?

I'm back after a long layoff ...

Lots has happened since I last wrote a few weeks back, but here's one tidbit from the BBC I found particularly interesting.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will institute a licensing system which will force coaches to fulfill certain criteria before coaching in Africa.

The rules, to be introduced by next year, mean all coaches must hold either a management diploma or a Pro License coaching certificate.

According to CAF's development director Hussien Abdel-Moniem, the new system is aimed at weeding out ill-equipped coaches in Africa.

"Many coaches in Africa are now working haphazardly with their own experiences and talent but this is not right," Abdel Moniem told BBC Sport.

"Without these licences nobody can approach the clubs or national teams to be a coach in any part of Africa in the future. Coaches in Africa must pass an exam to have a license before coaching at any level. We will work jointly with the federations across Africa to ensure that this is successful."

Several countries in Europe require coaches to hold either a management diploma or a UEFA Pro License coaching certificate before taking charge of a team.

MY POV: I think this is a GREAT idea.

Africans wanting to coach will now have a system in place to teach them tactics, coaching methodologies, training theories and so much more.

The implementation of these guidelines also means there will be a standardization of goals to reach in order to become a coach.

What this means in that there will be better-trained coaches, better systems put into place and more opportunities to learn the sport.

In other words, more opportunities for Africans to be at the helm at club and national levels.

This can only be a good thing.