Coaching Education

Coach Education plays an integral part in the development structure of football in the country. No matter how many matches one has played at the highest level, Coach Education adds to his/her experience and gives him/her the finer details in coaching. Coach Education ensures the future quality of football, which lies to a large extent in the hands of qualified coaches, who play a vital role in the development of players and the game. It provides a coach with the appropriate tools and knowledge for his/her development to become a professional in the World of Football.

AFC’s Coach Education activities started in 1989 when the Confederation established its Technical Department and put it in charge of all Coach Education affairs. The AFC Coach Licencing Scheme was introduced in phases, with the first ‘C’ Licence course delivered in 1994. Following the ‘C’ course, the ‘B’ and ‘A’ Licence courses were introduced in 1996 and 1997 respectively.

Courses

Coaching Diplomas are courses designed to educate coaches to organize, direct and conduct basic training modules to organize small-sided games, develop fundamental techniques and game understanding of players from the grassroots level. Diplomas enhances leadership abilities, sharpens strategic thinking, gives practical insights into the modern practices of sports performance management and gives you a broader perspective of the many challenges and complexities of the game. Diploma course empowers a coach to analyse, coach, train, teach, lead and to assess youth as well as professionals. Diploma is a certificate, which a Coach will receive after a successful completion of a course.

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Coaching Portal

AIFF Coaching Calendar

Sep 2025 - Nov 2025
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Coaching Convention

What is Coaching Convention?

  1. An agreement between AFC and its Member Associations on Coach Education Rules/Methods
  2. An endorsement tool that provides regulations and guidelines for minimum standards in coach education
  3. To protect footballers from exposure to coaches without appropriate education who might have a negative effect on their physical, psychological or technical development

Key elements of the Convention

  1. MAs Responsible for their Coach Education
  2. MAs more involved in designing their programme and content
  3. New rules and guidelines
  4. AFC in a development role
  5. An opportunity for MAs to develop their own Coach Educators and their Football Philosophy

Licences

Licenses Renewal

License permits a coach to get into coaching. Once a coach gets his Diploma, he will need a License to coach. It will be valid for a period of 3 years. If a Coach does not continue in his/her Continued Professional Development (CPD) courses during the valid period of time the license will be deemed.

The License will be renewed for another 3 years if the candidate undergoes his CPD of 24 points. If the 24 points are not completed in the 3 years; then, that particular coach has to gain the required number of missing points to revalidate his/her License as soon as possible and no later than 2 years. Till the time all 24 points are not gained and the license is not validated, that particular coach will not be allowed to coach officially in any of the AIFF affiliated football events.

Licenses renewal procedure

Theoretical activities:

Attending conferences, Seminars, Courses. Any other activity recognised and approved by AIFF such as documented proof that they have attended these activities. Acceptable documents are certificates of attendance, letters of acknowledgement, payment of receipts or attendance sheets.

Practical Activities:

Attending coaching courses (Practical sessions), Attending practical sessions with different clubs, Attending master class, Attending refresher courses. Any other activity recognised and approved by AIFF such as documented proof of minimum practical coaching hours through their log
books. Acceptable documents are certificates of attendance, letters of acknowledgement from coaches, payment of receipts or attendance sheet

Renewal Procedures:

Holders of expiring licenses must approach AIFF for renewal at least six months before the expiry date.
AIFF coaching committee shall verify the validity of these licenses/documents before inviting the coaches for the refresher course.
This information shall be uploaded in the coaches’ database.

Advanced Coaching Pathway (Q & A)

The information in this document will help coaches gain more clarity on revalidation of coaching licenses through CPD programs. Click here to access the document.

For a guide on how to add new activities and check CPD points on the coaching portal, please refer to the video below.

Recognition of Experience and Current Competence (RECC)

Any Coach who has a License/Diploma from any Confederation besides UEFA, FA or FFA may apply for Recognition if they believe that their current football knowledge, practical experience, and/or current qualifications obtained from another Confederation or Football Association are equal to or exceed the minimum requirements of a specific AFC Certification.

A RECC document needs to be filled and sent to the Coach Education Department along with a copy of licenses and an updated CV.

Licenses acquired from other federations and confederations than UEFA, FA or FFA requires a letter from the respective federation confirming that the said individual has completed the license and is a registered coach under them.

The relevant recognition shall be valid for a period of 2 years.
Click here to download RECC Form

How to become a Coach

The All India Football Federation in its goal to create and maintain exemplary standards towards the development of Indian Football has introduced the Coaches Registration System for all licensed coaches in and outside the country holding an Indian Passport. The system is introduced to create a database for all existing licensed Indian coaches in the country and abroad to not only keep count of them but also monitor and track their activities.

With the steady increase in the number of AIFF and AFC Coaching courses every year and over hundreds of coaches being produced through the courses, it is imperative that the licensed coaches are properly tracked and classified according to their certificates, location, and employment. One of the biggest challenges existing in the present scenario is to keep a record of various such licensed coaches employed across and outside the country. This system will narrow down the search and help streamline their performance data along with their coaching activities. The system will enable coaches to apply for future courses after validation of their registration procedure. It will also provide public access for interested stakeholders including clubs, associations and others to view the status and brief profile of each registered coach.

The coaches can access the portal through http://coaching.the-aiff.com
Click here to know how to register on this portal.

FIFA Course

  • The objective of any FIFA development activity is to ultimately improve the football experience of those who wish to play the game. Building the skills and capacities of the individuals responsible for providing this football experience is, therefore, key to this objective.
  • Types of FIFA Courses - FIFA Goalkeeping Course, FIFA Youth Coaching Course, FIFA Elite Senior Coaching Course.
  • Courses are organized by the AIFF under a FIFA Instructor; the candidates are selected by the Head of Coach Education.