Representatives of the 22 Caribbean member associations (MAs) gathered in Miami last week for a workshop on electronic registration, transfers, and competition management organized by the FIFA Connect Programme.

The FIFA Connect Programme helps MAs register all their stakeholders in a systematic way and keep track of players, coaches and referees wherever they are in the world. This allows for transparency and efficient football administration through digital management of competitions.

Through this workshop, the FIFA Connect Programme will allow MAs to build stronger foundations, grow participation and enhance the commercial value of their member base.

Held over two different sessions, MAs were split into two groups with each class attending their own three-day workshop.

The focus of the workshop was for MAs to receive training on the FIFA Connect Platform and the FIFA Connect Competition Management System.

Importantly, MAs were also briefed on the FIFA Clearing House which aims to close the gap between training rewards due and the amount paid. It is estimated that more than USD 400m should be distributed per year but only around USD 70-80m have been declared annually prior to the inception of the FIFA Clearing House on 16th November 2022.

The FIFA Clearing House promotes financial transparency and integrity to avoid fraudulent conduct in the transfer system. It also aims to centralise, process and automate payments between clubs, initially relating to training rewards.

Further topics in Miami included training of FIFA regulations on the status and transfer of players, the use of the Transfer Matching System for international transfers, and bilateral sessions with each MA on football registration and competitions in their country.

General Secretary of Anguilla FA, Jameel Rochester, said FIFA Connect has helped grow the game in the Caribbean.

“FIFA Connect has helped us triple the number of matches played in Anguilla by letting us operate more efficiently and in compliance with international standards and best practices.”

Second Vice President of Federashon Futbòl Kòrsou, Fabi Constansia, said FIFA Connect is vital for MAs.

“FIFA Connect is extremely important: we gain a lot efficiency in organising our competitions digitally and can reduce costs for clubs as they don’t need to provide physical documents and can register their players from the comfort of their home,” said Constansia.

“The system also improves the communication to all stakeholders as clubs have access to all information in real time, and the fans and sponsors can immediately see standings and statistics on our website.

General Secretary of Antigua and Barbuda FA, Rohan Hector, said FIFA Connect allows MAs to put more time towards improvement.