Tracey Kevins, Kathrin Peter, Ana Galindo and Pamela Conti have more in common than a shared passion for football. All four were mentees in the previous edition of the FIFA’s Women’s Coach Mentorship Programme and have all been in charge of teams taking part in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™.

“None of the courses I’ve taken in my career, which goes back over 20 years, have had as much of an effect on me as this one,” said Kevins, whose USA side will go for third place at Colombia 2024 on Saturday, in an interview with Inside FIFA.

“It’s a unique experience,” added Kevins, whose mentor was none other than Pia Sundhage. “There were world and European champions on the programme and coaches about to take part in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, all of them willing to share their preparations in the knowledge that four of us would be doing the exact same thing 12 months later. It was just fantastic.”

Having steered her side to the quarter-finals, where they lost to the USA on penalties at the end of an epic encounter, Germany coach Peter was no less enthusiastic about the ties forged during the course: “It’s a great programme. It lasted two years and we created a community in which we could speak about lots of different things. Lots of friendships were made, and it’s wonderful to see and meet up with those same people again here.”

Discussing her interaction with Kevins on the programme, in which she was mentored by her compatriot Tina Theune, Peter said: “It became a real friendship, more than just a relationship. We saw each other at some friendlies in April and we’ve been chatting at the hotel here in Colombia.”

Venezuela’s coach at Colombia 2024, Conti also had nothing but praise for the programme and the connections it helped create, which have only grown stronger during the competition. Take her relationship with Peter, which was unaffected by La Vinotinto’s defeat to Germany in their opening match.

“The game is the game and it ends on the pitch,” said the Italian, whose mentor on the programme was Scottish born Matilda’s (interim) coach Tom Sermanni. “We spoke afterwards and analysed my team and hers. We shared ideas, spoke about what our sides are lacking and asked each other questions. It was all very friendly and she even gave me a shirt.”

Though Galindo, whose Mexico side narrowly went down to the USA in the last 16, admitted to having had little contact with Kevins, she said that the bonds forged during the programme helped her prepare for the tournament.

“It’s mostly just been to find out information about our opponents and ask if they’ve played them before, like ‘Hey, how did you get on?’” said the Mexico coach. “Everyone has benefitted from being able to exchange information on matches and things like that and use the platform FIFA have created.”

Her mentor was the Paraguayan Epifanía Benítez, who was also on duty at Colombia 2024, as the assistant coach of her country’s national team. “We didn’t get the chance to speak, but no doubt we’ll be sharing our analysis and views of the tournament later on,” said Galindo.

Kevins has spoken to Sundhage, however. “She’s a legend of women’s football, and her guidance and tutoring in every sense, whether it’s on the working environment of the players, positive and negative aspects, tactics and everything else, were invaluable. We’ll keep talking and will stay in touch.”

Peter has had a similar experience with Theune: “The programme ended in December but we’ve stayed in touch. She knows all the players, watches all the games and is a great person. We can talk behind closed doors.”

Fresh from helping Venezuela win their first ever point in the competition, Conti revealed she has been chatting to Sermanni throughout the World Cup. “We haven’t stopped talking,” she explained. “He’s important to my personal growth and supports me a lot, and I admire him. I've been through some tough times and he’s helped me get back on track. I’m so grateful to him because he's always been a very important person in my footballing life.”

All four would recommend the FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme to their colleagues. “It's an amazing experience,” said Kevins. “It's so unique and there's no other course in the world where you can draw on the experience of a mentor and your colleagues too. It's a course that changes your life.”

As Galindo explained, all four would like to be mentors themselves in the future: “All the coaches I've met, not just through the programme but in general, are excited at the prospect of helping develop the women's game. If someone comes up and asks me what I’m doing or how I do something, I'm always happy to share that information. If someone's been good enough to help me, then it’s only right that I should do the same.”