03 February 2010 

As they busily prepare for their first ever overseas Conference, the French Coaches Association UNECATEF have enlisted Scout7 to assist in the coordination of their trip.

The event, which is due to take place in Birmingham during the first week of April, will comprise of a Football League Championship game, a tour of a top flight club's training ground, observation of youth team training sessions and a meeting with members of the English Coaches Association, the PFCA.

In addition, members will also have the opportunity to be given tutorials on Scout7'evolving portfolio of scouting and squad management applications, in order for them to find out how some of world's most forward thinking clubs are using technology proactively to enhance existing working practices.

The visit is the latest in a long line of initiatives that Scout7 have worked on together with UNECATEF in recent years. These have included providing overseas scouting assignments to out-of-work members in regions including Europe, Africa and South America, to assess emerging talent in key recruitment markets and to assist in helping them secure future full time employment in the industry.

Having worked closely with the union's Director Thibaut Dagorne to establish the itinerary for the trip, Scout7's Jerome Lebatard is delighted with the role given to the company in the planning of this important event.

"UNECATEF host a number of domestic conferences throughout the year and it is a great honour that they have chosen Scout7 to help arrange their first ever overseas gathering of members," he says.

"The leading English clubs have a reputation abroad for possessing outstanding training facilities and internal infrastructures and this visit will allow French coaches see this for themselves, in addition to experiencing the unique atmosphere of a FA Premier League match.

"There is also a desire from the members to meet with coaches from different backgrounds and education and on that basis, we are very pleased to invite members of the PFCA to meet with their French equivalents. I am sure they will be able to share many ideas relating to development, analysis and preparation.

"We look forward to welcoming the delegation on their arrival in Birmingham and rest assured, my colleagues and I will be on hand to ensure they have a successful and enjoyable trip."

During the course of the past two years, Scout7 have helped organize a number of high-profile events, notably with the management of the official scouting accreditation at the annual Toulon Festival and Lebatard is hopeful that a number of high-profile figures, from both French and English football, will support the UNECATEF Conference.

"The senior management of UNECATEF are very influential, powerful figures, not only within French football, but also on the continent and we do not underestimate the responsibility we have been given in helping organise a very important event to them," he points out.

"As a result, we will be making every effort to ensure that French coaches involved at all levels of English football are invited to meet with fellow members of their union. I also hope that it strengthens the relationship UNECATEF has with a number of English based organizations.

"In the meantime, we will continue to support their members without a club by giving them scouting projects and information on the latest technologies available in world football, which we hope will make their jobs easier when they return to the professional game."