EDFA equip Coaches with aim of achieving excellence

May 08, 2016 Sports

By Franklin Wilson
With the vision of embracing a structured programme for development, Coaches attached to clubs registered under the umbrella of the East Demerara Football Association (EDFA) were yesterday presented with kits

EDFA Secretary Gidel Austin hands over one of the bags with equipment to BV Triumph United Coach Kester Garnett in eth presence of EDFA President Alfred King (2nd right) and other coaches.

compliments of the association.
In remarks prior to the presentation, EDFA President, Alfred King told the coaches and a few administrators that football is a bit more than just kicking the ball to the extent that the association has designed a programme that will see the game grow and develop.
“What that means? We want to see a wider pool of young players involved in football that can feed into the clubs. Most of the senior clubs are disintegrating because of a lack of a strategy to attract new membership and to develop a sustainable feeder programme to teach the fundamentals at the junior level.”
Armed with this understanding, King said that it was recognized that investment in the area of coaching is critical, especially at the junior level.
“Therefore we want to find all the possible exposure for our coaches to develop. We run the risk of teaching the youngsters the wrong thing with untrained coaches which would be difficult to adjust when they become senior players; including the wrong attitude sometimes.”
King informed that the targeting coaches for development started earlier this year when about 30 persons were exposed to a two-day programme that was facilitated by President of the Guyana National Coaches Association, Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover and Sampson ‘Boniah’ Gilbert.
“We are in the process of putting together an accredited programme to ensure that our coaches go through a B License experience and we are hopping therefore that an instructor from Trinidad who we are engaging through Dover and Jamaal Shabazz would be here sometime soon to further work with the coaches to enhance their skills and competence.”
Coaches will then be attached to junior teams and be charged with the responsibility of implementing what they would have learnt from the course with the aim of achieving collectively, stronger clubs in the EDFA.
King also made reference to the recently concluded Under-17 Jubilee tournament which was won by Bachelors Adventure Paradise Sports Club over Buxton Stars and the subsequent Goodwill series against the East Bank Football Association to two U-17 Clubs, Grove Hi Tech and Soesdyke Falcons.
Two matches were played at the Golden Grove ground while the return visit to the East Bank is yet to come off due to the current inclement weather.
Meanwhile, ten teams will vie for top honours in the NAMILCO Flour Power Thunderbolt Intra Association competition which is anticipated to kick off this coming weekend. The association’s Senior League will also be unveiled shortly, King informed.
Each club coach received a set of training bibs, strategy boards, ball bags, balls and coaches tops. Those receiving were BV Triumph United, Ann’s Grove United, Victoria Kings, Bachelors Adventure / Paradise Sports Club, Buxton Stars and Golden Stars.
Absent from yesterday’s activity were Mahaica Determinators, Plaisance Panthers FC and Buxton Youth Developers.