ABC Football School coach Andrew Bascome was presented with a $20,000 cheque from the Ministry of Sports yesterday to help the Bermuda Football Coach Education and Licensing Programme.The programme, which is geared towards assisting local clubs with youth football programme coaching, will help local coaches in their pursuit of coaching degrees and further education and development in the sport.Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney backed the initiative that will see the coaches receive comprehensive coaching and a better understanding of the game.“I can’t emphasise enough the significance of this opportunity and how much it will mean to the development of football in Bermuda,” said Blakeney.“I wish to thank Andrew Bascome and the ABC Football School for their vision and dedication to furthering the development of football in Bermuda, and the development of youth development in particular.”Along with hands-on coaching, coaches will receive handbooks for coaching children from grassroots right up to the Under-18 level.Helping Bascome through the project will be Jacques Crevoisier, who is no stranger to the Island with his previous involvement in various seminars and workshops.“On behalf the Government of Bermuda, I wish to sincerely thank Mr. Jacques Crevoisier for coming to Bermuda to assist us with development of football. I am confident that this programme will be very successful, and in years to come, the entire community will benefit from this initiative,” said Blakeney.All participating coaches in the programme will gain an internationally recognised certification, with Crevoisier selecting a limited number of the best coaches to undertake their UEFA ‘B’ licence certification in the future.Bascome said he was grateful for the donation from the Ministry and agreed with the sentiments echoed by Blakeney about the importance of the grassroots of the sport locally.“I would like to thank Ministry for this donation, it is important for the players that we coaches know that we are certified and being educated so that we can instil more confidence in them and help them to reach their dreams,” said Bascome.“The Ministry has been supportive of all the programmes I have brought before them for the children of Bermuda and their footballing and this is yet another way that we can keep the game well structured and to bring more education to our coaches.“We have to show our children that we are willing to work together collectively to help them.”Crevoisier added: “I firmly believe that the level of football in this country should begin at the lowest level in order for them to enjoy and see the opportunities that the sport gives them.“The books will help both players and coaches with not only the reading of certain material but also the visual things inside that will help get the points across to the players.“It makes no sense to just get a book and read it and try to implement them, you need to be able to put it into practice and show the children how it should be done.”A ‘C’ licence course will start later this month with the first certifications to be completed in September this year, while ‘B’ licence certification work will be headed by Crevoisier in cooperation with the Scottish Football Association starting this fall.