Masanaga Kageyama, Technical Director of Japan FA, has been selected as one of 23 participants on edition two of FIFA’s prestigious Technical Leadership Diploma held in Germany this week.

Kageyama joined other selected Technical Leaders from Member Associations, Confederations and FIFA at the German Football Association Training Campus in Frankfurt for the first block of the unique level 6 qualification.

“Last year I participated in the first edition of FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma Block two as a guest participant from the host country, and at that time I had already decided that I would like to apply for the second edition since I was very interested in the content and methodology provided by FIFA in this Diploma, and saw it as a great opportunity to share valuable knowledge and experience with leaders from around the world. Therefore, I am very excited to participate in the second edition of this programme.

During Block one in Frankfurt, 23 participants and FIFA tutors met up for the first time, with a non-stop programme that kept our minds and bodies constantly engaged. Learning methods such as reality-based learning, role-playing, case study, etc., which are unfamiliar in Japanese education, kept me on my toes. However, with the kind support from my fellow participants from other countries and the FIFA team, I managed to get through the week.
As I have been told, this is just the beginning of a long 18-month journey. I will strive to face myself and appreciate this learning process while connecting with my peers (peer to peer) on the 5 learning areas of the diploma.” says Kageyama.

“I am very pleased that Mr. Kageyama has been selected as a participant for the second edition of the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma. I also participated as a guest in the legend talk session held in Block two of the first edition held in Japan last year and I strongly felt the amount of passion that the world's technical leaders have for football and FIFA's commitment to this programme.

I hope Mr. Kageyama will take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity, and that he will reinvest the various experiences and knowledge he gained while learning with technical leaders from around the world for the further development of Japanese football as the Technical Director” says Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, the President of Japan FA.

“We are delighted to welcome Kageyama onto the second edition of our Technical Leadership Diploma,” says Steven Martens, FIFA Director of Global Football Development.

“We believe the Technical Leadership Diploma will help each participant optimise the management of football in their own country – both on and off the pitch. The development of exceptional Technical Leaders will also help us in the delivery of our long-term strategic aims to give every talent a chance and grow the game at every level,” added Martens.

‘Globally recognised qualification’ for Technical Leaders

The FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma is the first qualification of its kind and aims to become the ‘globally recognised qualification’ for Technical Leaders working in the game.

“Currently, there is no single award or accreditation that allows an individual to become a Technical Leader in a Member Association,” explains Jamie Houchen, FIFA Head of Technical Leadership. “If a Member Association is looking to hire a Technical Leader, there is no benchmark for quality.

“We believe the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma will become the globally recognised qualification for Technical Leaders and produce the very highest quality of graduates to lead football around the world.”

Following the six-day workshop in Germany, the 24 participants will begin their own personal project focused on their own unique context as well as a programme of online learning. The cohort will meet again for six days in Argentina in November with two further face-to-face events to follow in 2025.

The FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma will prepare participants for the distinct challenges and opportunities faced by a Technical Leader within a Member Association. Five core domain areas will be covered:
- Technical Leadership
- High Performance
- Coach Education
- Amateur Football
- Management

All 23 participants listed below received a personal invite to join the programme:
Patrick Bruggmann – Swiss FA
Robert Dr. Barczi – Hungarian FA
Aki Hyrylainen – Finnish FA
Jelle Schelstraete – Royal Belgian FA
Marcin Dorna – Polish FA
Luis Roggiero – Ecuadorian FA
Fabimar Del Carmen Franchi – CONMEBOL
Guillermo Echevarria – Peruvian FA
Theon Gordon – St Vincent and the Grenadines FF
Dave Nutt – Canadian SA
Biswajeet Kali – Surinamese FA
Barry Pauwels – US Soccer
Andrew Boyens – New Zealand Football
Timo Jankowski – Fiji FA
Syed Pasha – All India FF
Soleen Al-Zou'bi – Malaysian FA
Alexander Zwiers – Jordanian FA
Masanaga Kageyama – Japan FA
Jaida Zakaria – CAF
Oscar Mirambo – Tanzanian FA
Augustine Eguavoen – Nigerian FA
Tom Gardner – FIFA
Ed Franklin – FIFA

For more information about the FIFA Technical Leadership Diploma visit the FIFA Training Centre: www.fifatrainingcentre.com