EFAF represented at AFCA coaches convention (EFAF)

EFAF Technical Director Paul Vincent Miraval and EFAF Director of Coaches Development Giorgio Longhi attended the 89th annual AFCA coaches convention at San Antonio, Texas. The convention is the most profiled in the world, with more than 6.000 American Football coaches from around the globe gathering. „This is very important for EFAF, not only to be represented at this meeting“, said Miraval. „American Football coaching is developing at such a fast pace, and in order to keep our clinics throughout Europe up to date, we have to stay in constant contact with coaches from the United States and the whole world.“

More than 400 European American Football coaches attended EFAF's clinics since 2007 - most of the clinics held in countries, where American Football is quite new on the scene. Thus most coaches from these countries are not able to attend meetings like the one at San Antonio directly yet - but instead need the clinics to come to their home countries. Shortly after their return from San Antonio Miraval and Longhi will be on the road again, to conduct another EFAF coaching clinic, this time in Slovenia on the first weekend of February. Attendees certainly will benefit from Miraval's and Longhi's trip to Texas, as they are guaranteed to learn about the newest trends. Future clinics will be held at Bruxelles (Belgium), Istanbul/Ankara (Turkey), Budapest (Hungaria) and Sofia (Bulgaria) during the next 12 to 15 months.

Miraval's and Longhi's efforts to improve the level of coaching within Europe go beyond these clinics itself. Both are assisting coaches throughout the year and manage an ever-growing network of European American Football coaches. „The questions we receive are diverse - but usually we find a way to help to solve a problem“, says Miraval. Some of their time at San Antonio they spent with meetings with suppliers of equipment, such as helmets, shoulder pads, computer software or strength and conditioning equipment, because much of their daily work on behalf of EFAF has to address the basics. Still of course they attended more sophisticated sessions at the convention like for instance the Master coach series featuring coaching legend Tubby Raymond from Delaware, the coach who literally created the offensive system called wing T.

Of course most - if not all - new coaching trends still are developed in the U.S., but European American Football coaches catch up steadily. Part due to Miraval's, Longhi's and EFAF's efforts, and still this is what they see as the fitting reward for their activities, when coaching skills are enhanced in Europe. But certainly they also enjoy their work being appreciated personally, like when Giorgio Longhi recently was appointed by IFAF as assistant coach for a world junior team which will play an international game versus an USA team in February at Austin, Texas. „This is a welcome recognition of what we have developed in the past four years by staging EFAF's coaching clinics. I am very proud to be there“, says Longhi.

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