Inaugural FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme took place last month

Three programme participants qualified for the U-17 Women's World Cup semis

FIFA.com speaks with Canada's Rhian Wilkinson and Mexico's Monica Vergara Jill Ellis, Hope Powell and Asako Takakura will all be keeping a very close eye on Wednesday’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Uruguay 2018 semi-finals. This may seem like an obvious thing to say about three accomplished and decorated women’s football coaches. However, this time around, there is added incentive for them. Just last month, they participated in the inaugural FIFA Coach Mentorship Programme at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, where they all became mentors for three young and aspiring coaches: Ellis for Monica Vergara, Powell for Rhian Wilkinson and Takakura for Gemma Lewis. One month later and Mexico head coach Vergara, Canada head coach Wilkinson and New Zealand assistant coach Lewis have all led their countries to historic journeys by reaching the U-17 Women’s World Cup last four. For all three nations, this is their first trip to the semi-finals of the tournament. “I’ve had messages throughout the tournament from Monica (Vergara) and also from Gemma (Lewis) and I’ve been supporting them and encouraging them, so of course, we’re invested in our own teams’ success, but to see people you care about succeeding as well is lovely,” Wilkinson, who won 180 caps for Canada, told FIFA.com. “I’ll be as competitive as the next person when it comes game time, but to know that she’s going through the same things I am, the process is very similar, it’s nice.”

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“I was a little sceptical at first (about the mentorship programme) because I didn’t understand how it would work when there’s a lot of overlap,” Wilkinson continued. “I thought it would be a bit cagey, but actually, the people that are willing and wanting to be involved are very giving of their time, knowledge and energy.” Like Wilkinson, Vergara played for her country’s senior national team and featured in the Olympics. She has worked in various technical coaching roles within the Mexican federation and took over as head coach of the U-17 women’s national team in January 2018. “It (mentorship) is what football represents,” Vergara said to FIFA.com. “It’s incredible all that the mentors share, how they opened their world and experiences, and it’s something that has helped me a lot before coming here to Uruguay.”

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