Coach education: Chiarabini and Benvenuti in Latvia for UEFA Share “Fitness for Football”

Last Thursday in Riga (Latvia) saw the conclusion of the UEFA Share “Fitness for Football” seminar, focused on the role of the fitness coach in football. Three days of exchange and sharing brought together two representatives from each of the ten associations invited by UEFA, along with their respective Heads of Coach Education and the Heads of Performance and Fitness. Alongside the hosts Latvia, the participating countries were Norway, Serbia, Türkiye, North Macedonia, Greece, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic and San Marino. Four UEFA experts led the activities, aiming to make participants even more aware of theimportance of this role in the modern game, and above all of the pathway required to implement the future “UEFA Fitness Diploma” course.

The new edition of the Coaching Convention, which comes into force on 1 July, has for the first time officially introduced two levels of licence, Fitness B and Fitness A, recognised at international level. Representing the San Marino FA at the seminar were Carlo Chiarabini (Head of Coach Education) and Andrea Benvenuti (Head of Performance and Fitness), who outlined the situation within San Marino. After two years of work, theobjective of structuring a B-level course in the near future on the Titan is now in sight, further strengthening cooperation with the Italian Football Association for the A level. Together with UEFA, the details and the roadmap to follow were defined, which will lead, in summer-autumn 2026, to the organisation of the first official “UEFA Fitness B” course, for which applications may be submitted by those who, among other requirements, hold at least a UEFA C coaching licence.