Panama hosted last week a seminar organized by FIFA aimed at the Federations of North America, Central America and the Caribbean to publicize all the details of the next Forward 3.0 Program.
A total of 13 National Federations from the CONCACAF area were present in Panama City on May 15 and 16 to actively participate in workshops aimed at general secretaries, heads of the Forward Program and financial managers of each federation.
Present for the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT) were the president, Manuel Arias, the general secretary, Miguel Zúñiga, the director of development, Jaime Arias, and the director of the Finance Department, Rosaria Zinzi.
The seminar began with welcoming remarks from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, before presentations by members of the FIFA Americas Member Associations Branch.
Manuel Arias, president of FEPAFUT, took the opportunity to greet all the participating Federations, stressing the importance of continuing to work hand in hand for the benefit of football in CONCACAF.
Jaime Arias, director of development of FEPAFUT, highlighted the main objectives and challenges that are faced within the execution of the different projects and how the different phases have been overcome within the Forward program in Panama.
“For the development department, it is key to be able to take part in these workshops together with FIFA in order to continue expanding the scope of the Forward program in FEPAFUT and continue to comply with all the parameters established within the regulations. It is also very valuable to be able to share with the different federations of the territory and learn from the good practices and projects carried out by each of them », he explained.
“I would like to thank the entire FIFA team for the constant support they give us, especially the FIFA regional offices in Panama, with whom we work hand in hand on a daily basis in the execution of the different projects, including the Center high perfomance”.
Rosaria Zinzi, director of the Finance area of FEPAFUT, mentioned some of the changes that were incorporated into the new FIFA Forward 3.0 Program Regulations for the period 2023-2026, as well as several of the points that were touched on in terms of transparency and in the correct use of the funds of each Federation.
“This new program anticipates an increase of more or less 30% in contributions compared to previous years by FIFA to its member federations,” he said.
The importance of implementing efficient processes, tools and structures that guarantee access to funds, their correct use and full compliance with the relevant obligations of each Federation was also reinforced.
As a Federation, “we had the opportunity to build awareness to maintain access to the FIFA Forward 3.0 Program. through talks and spaces in the work tables and/or bilateral meetings to review innovative proposals that promote development through projects such as the High Performance Center in the country”, explained the finance director.
These participatory training sessions also addressed key issues such as efficient resource management, the promotion of female participation in football and the implementation of youth development programs; as well as a conversational space in relation to communication and relevance in reputational management in soccer entities and thus promote equal opportunities in safeguarding soccer.
“It was an ideal occasion to approach the federations considering the start of the Forward 3.0 cycle. We had the opportunity to meet with their general secretaries, heads of the FIFA Forward Program and managers of the finance area to delve into important aspects of the new Regulations, clarify issues related to the various assistance lines provided through the Programme, and learn about and discuss development priorities in each territory,” said Jair Bertoni, director of FIFA’s Americas Member Associations Branch.
During the second half of the current year, the FIFA Americas Member Associations Branch will continue with these information and training sessions on the main requirements of the Forward 3.0 Program and ways to manage the program so that investments can be made efficiently and transparently. continue to generate the desired impact for football.
