Experienced Premier League coach Kevin Wilson will jet off to Cameroon to share his wealth of knowledge with young soccer lovers as part of the British Council and Premier League’s Premier Skills initiative.

According to its website, Premier Skills builds capacity among community leaders and coaches through face-to-face football coaching, and leadership and English language skills development.

The initiative provides an opportunity for coaches from the Premier League – one of the most popular football leagues in the world – to develop the skills of their African counterparts while teaching them to use football as a tool for skills and community development.

Premier Skills also supports English language learning through a range of football-themed online and computer resources. Among these is the ‘Skill Factor’ interactive training CD-ROM, which breaks down how a player can complete a certain football technique by allowing the user to zoom in and out, and watch a skill from different angles and in slow motion.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Community Trust coach Kevin Wilson is a new addition to the initiative. Wilson will be jetting off to Cameroon to assist the programme’s lead trainer, former Wimbledon and Jamaica star Robbie Earle, in running the week-long courses.

Wilson says it’s an honour and privileged to be part of this developmental initiative.

‘I’m really looking forward to the trip, which will not only be an invaluable experience but also hopefully help me develop some skills which I can bring back to my work at Wolves,’ he says.

In Cameroon, Wilson will be tasked with coaching and mentoring, and trying to pass on coaching best practice to the people in the West African country.

The Premier Skills project, which was first piloted in Egypt, currently operates in more than 19 counties worldwide, eight of them in Africa.

Premier League executive Richard Scudamore says the success of the project led to the decision to take it to a wider audience.

‘Thanks to the number of players from Cameroon who play or have played in England, the Premier League has a strong relationship with the country,’ says Scudamore.

'It is important to use this profile and reach to encourage and engage communities, says Scudamore, and the rollout of Premier Skills’ projects will do just that.'

‘Our partnership with the British Council, using top coaches like Robbie Earle, will help develop the skills of youth leaders for the long-term benefit of their communities.’