Clubs taking part in two of Vanuatu's biggest domestic leagues were given a brief introduction to club licensing and all it entails during a joint FIFA/OFC Club Licensing visit to Port Vila and Luganville recently.
OFC Club Licensing Manager Chris Kemp and FIFA Consultant Robbie Middleby introduced the club licensing system and the five pillars that make up FIFA Club Licensing.
Kemp used Iceland's recent success at the UEFA Euros in France as an example for Vanuatu.
"They reached the quarter-finals of the tournament with only a population of just over 330,000, approximately the same as, or just over, that of Vanuatu," Kemp said.
While the UEFA model works for their region, Middleby insisted OFC Member Associations would not simply be following suit when they introduce club licensing.
Instead, he said, input would be sought from clubs and a system that suits Vanuatu would be developed specifically.
The FIFA Club Licensing principles form the basis for the Confederations’ own club licensing principles, taking into account the regional specificities of club football.
Clubs need to meet these principles to be eligible for certain competitions, adhering to international statutes, investing in training facilities and agreeing to the independent auditing of finances and greater transparency of ownership.
The FIFA Club Licensing system requires clubs to commit to minimum standards and principles in five key areas or pillars:
• Sporting criteria e.g. clubs must have a youth development programme; clubs must promote fair play
• Infrastructure criteria e.g. clubs must have safe, comfortable stadiums for fans, families and media; clubs must have training facilities
• Personnel and administrative criteria e.g. clubs must have qualified coaches and medical staff and professional, well-educated management
• Legal criteria e.g. clubs must adhere to international statutes; club ownership must be transparent and fair
• Financial criteria e.g. independent auditing of club finances
The FIFA Club Licensing system is only one of many development programmes that are run by the governing body.
These guidelines will then be tailored to suit the needs of national associations and clubs as part of FIFA’s football development priorities for the 2015-2018 financial cycle.
Tafea FC are among the clubs in Vanuatu which must start planning for new club licensing regulations. Photo: OFC via Phototek