Seychellois Mario Pragassen has been accredited with a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coaching licence B and is aiming for an A licence.

Pragassen, the coach and founder of Pro Club Youth Academy in Seychelles, completed his course in Germany to earn the third top licence provided by the UEFA governing body, making him just one of the few coaches from Seychelles to hold such a licence.

"My aim is to definitely complete my A license, so I can keep climbing the ladder and go as high as I can," said Pragassen, who explained that it is not an easy task, but one he is prepared to do.

The UEFA B licence is one level below the A licence, and allows holders to be head coaches of men's amateur clubs, youth teams up to age 16, and assistant coaches for professional clubs.

An A licence will allow Pragassen to be the head coach of youth teams up to age 18, reserve teams also known as B teams, for top-flight clubs, and men's professional second-tier clubs.

The highest licence available in UEFA is the Pro License, which is required for anyone who wishes to manage a football clup in the top tier of any European nation's league system on a permanent basis. This is required to manage a team in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.  

Pragassen (2nd front row from left) completed his course in Germany last year. (Mario Pragassen) Photo license: All Rights Reserved

For Pragassen, gaining a B licence means a lot, having sacrificed a lot both in terms of his time and finance.

"It took a lot of work, with both theory and practical being very demanding, with a lot of struggles with the local internet speeds as well," he said.

The UEFA B Diploma requires a total of 120 hours of education, with a maximum of 95 hours spent studying guided interactive content and a minimum of 25 hours for work experience in a club environment.

With Seychelles being affiliated with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), most Seychellois coaches hold licences affiliated with CAF.

Pragassen explained that he started working with football when he was in England, and so when he got back to Seychelles, he decided to go for the UEFA licence, since it can open more doors for him, in terms of international opportunities.

While the B licence will allow him to be able to coach senior teams, Pragassen explained that at the moment this is not something he is looking towards.

"I want to keep focusing on the development of young footballers for now, but coaching senior teams is on my mind, but not for now. Maybe in two or three years," said Pragassen.

He founded the Pro Club Youth Academy in 2019, which aims at identifying talent in the children and providing them with a safe and well-structured environment in which they may nurture and develop to their highest potential.

The Academy is committed to providing a high quality training and development in line with one of the institution's founding principles which is quality and not quantity.