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Dan Jaspers, Training and Development Manager at ISAF said, "Once a year our members gather together at the annual Conference and we get a chance to present our work to those Member National Authorities that have come to the Conference to find out more about how they can develop their National Sports Structure in Sailing.

"This year I have tried to offer a more streamlined list of topics in the seminar and by introducing a Keynote Speaker in the form of Iain Percy whose presentation will be called 'Sailing into the future.' As well as Iain we will be joined by those MNA representatives who are actually responsible for delivering programmes in their country. We hope that as a result of putting together this wonderful seminar outline many more delegates will join in with us on the afternoon of Sunday 6 November at the conference hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.. I look forward to seeing everyone there."

A full outline of the Training and Development seminar can be found here.

The Annual Conference also has a meeting organised between 10:00 - 11:30 local time on Tuesday 8 November for all delegates from new MNA's who are wishing to find out more about how they can grow the activities of their National Sailing Federations. This is also a great chance to speak with ISAF staff and committee members and get some valuable input.

ISAF Annual Conference Meetings Schedule can be seen here.

With National Olympic Committees (NOC's) around the world coming to the end of the IOC 2009 - 2012 Quadrennial funding cycle, it is crucial that all National Sailing Federations can show their NOC that the Training and Development Programmes that ISAF has worked to provide its members should be considered for funding in the next funding period of 2012 - 2016. Strategic National Sport Development plans presented to an NOC ahead of this time will give more chance for ISAF Members to be successful in obtaining NOC support of IOC funding through the Olympic Solidarity department.

The Olympic Solidarity funded World Programme for Coaches supports 3 main areas of sports development:

1. Basic Training - Technical Courses for Coaches. 5-7 day Level 1,2 and 3 practical courses which are focussed on the training of Coaches in the delivery of structured Sail Training Courses within the National Training Programme.
2. Individual Training - Sport Specific Scholarship for Coaches. The 8 week ISAF Training Scholarship has been very successful in helping National Sail Training Managers learn the skills to develop the MNA Programme structure and standards of delivery.
3. Support at a National Level - Development of a National Sports Structure. This 3-6 month development programme is aimed at helping an MNA to link the existing foundations of a National Programme of training with more elite activity aimed at developing all aspects of training and competition to create a truly unified national delivery.

All of these programmes that ISAF is involved with are closely linked with the key objectives laid out in the ISAF Connect to Sailing Charter. ISAF is focussed on delivering a number of programmes that will help to activate the strategic aims behind this important initiative. If you know of any organisation that would like to join the ISAF Connect to Sailing Sponsor Partners in helping to make these programmes possible and partner with Sailing's International Governing Body then get in contact with the Training and Development Department here

What is the Connect to Sailing initiative?

Connect To Sailing's overriding goal is to revitalise grass roots participation in all categories of sailing outside elite activity and put sailing firmly back into a growth sport with a focus on youth. There is evidence to suggest that participation in sailing around the world is in decline and the age of active participants increasing as all sports seek to compete with each other to attract participants and compete with an increase in other interests seeking to attract today's youth.

As a first step, the Connect To Sailing concept aims to bring together the organisations involved in and supporting the sport of sailing in a country, such as the member national authority, the sailing industry, sports council, boat show organisers, commercial sailing schools, media, National Governing Organisations as well as non-government organisations etc. By working together in partnership these organisations will share their resources and experiences to achieve a more integrated approach to the development of the sport.

'Connect to Sailing' aims to share best practice developed by all participating groups, using a combination of workshops, written manuals, website and mentoring. The Connect to Sailing section of the website will be a database of best practice from around the globe, enabling the sharing of knowledge.

For more details on all Connect to Sailing activity please visit the dedicated pages on the ISAF website here.