handbook for Technical Directors
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<strong>Technical</strong> department set-up / 3<br />
25<br />
<strong>Technical</strong> structure at<br />
regional level<br />
Although activities are often more intense<br />
at the level of the capital city, the technical<br />
director is responsible <strong>for</strong> the country<br />
as a whole. In order to exploit the full<br />
potential of the nation’s football, and<br />
especially in big countries, it is essential to<br />
be able to organise football development<br />
in a systematic way everywhere. This can<br />
only be done if the appropriate technical<br />
structures exist in the regions and are<br />
integrated with the regional associations/<br />
leagues, or else organised/coordinated<br />
from the headquarters.<br />
Depending on the resources available and<br />
the level of organisation of the regional<br />
branches, the structure might vary from<br />
just one focal point (paid or volunteer)<br />
to a small structure that includes several<br />
functions. Notwithstanding the level of<br />
complexity of the structures at regional<br />
level, it is of paramount importance that<br />
their activities follow very clear guidelines<br />
and that the technical development work is<br />
conducted in a coherent way everywhere.<br />
To achieve this result, excellent internal<br />
communication and a per<strong>for</strong>ming feedback<br />
system are an absolute must.<br />
3.2 Human resources management<br />
Necessary profiles<br />
Each function of the technical department<br />
is associated with a certain type of technical<br />
and organisational knowledge and<br />
skills. The person in charge of education<br />
and coach licences will have a different<br />
experience and personal profile than<br />
the one in charge of grassroots football.<br />
Defining the key skills <strong>for</strong> each position and<br />
assessing them is one of the responsibilities<br />
of the technical director. It is to be noted<br />
that – although technical knowledge is a<br />
must – staff also need to be proficient in<br />
other domains such as computer literacy,<br />
basic drafting skills (reports), organisational<br />
capacity and good understanding of the<br />
internal rules and regulations. Moreover, a<br />
department functions like a team and must<br />
be governed by team spirit, integration of<br />
roles and excellent internal communication.<br />
These are all qualities that play a pivotal<br />
role in the efficiency of any department.<br />
When a technical director is newly<br />
appointed, he will have to evaluate<br />
the employees under his responsibility<br />
and assess how their profiles can best<br />
contribute to the ef<strong>for</strong>t of the department.<br />
If somebody presents some gaps in terms of<br />
personal profile or experience, it might be<br />
possible to improve his/her skills through<br />
training or peer-to-peer work (<strong>for</strong> more<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation on training see below).<br />
It is absolutely fundamental that whoever<br />
is in charge of certain functions is able to<br />
fulfil his/her responsibilities and receives all<br />
the necessary support from the technical<br />
director. If the person’s profile falls short of<br />
the minimum requirements and training is<br />
considered irrelevant, a replacement must<br />
be considered.<br />
If positions are vacant, new staff must be<br />
hired (see below).<br />
How to recruit staff<br />
Recruitment is a process that is usually<br />
managed at association level, either<br />
under the responsibility of the director<br />
of HR (if such a position exists) or under<br />
the supervision of the general secretary.<br />
Notwithstanding who is in charge of<br />
coordinating the whole process, the<br />
technical director, as the person responsible<br />
<strong>for</strong> the department, must be involved in<br />
such a process, particularly in terms of:<br />
- Defining the necessary profile in terms<br />
of technical competence, autonomy<br />
and team spirit (job description/job<br />
announcement)<br />
- Contributing to the criteria used <strong>for</strong> the<br />
assessment<br />
- Actively participate in the selection<br />
process (shortlisting, interviews)<br />
- Providing relevant input <strong>for</strong> the final<br />
decision<br />
Depending on the complexity of the<br />
association’s structure and the specificity<br />
of the position required, the recruitment<br />
process can vary greatly. In some cases,<br />
and <strong>for</strong> positions that require very specific<br />
experience and skills, the selections will be<br />
made among a very small group of people<br />
that are easily identifiable (e.g. responsible<br />
<strong>for</strong> women’s football in a country with only<br />
a few <strong>for</strong>mer elite players/coaches). In some<br />
other cases, particularly if there are many