CONCACAF Nation’s League Countdown Golden Jaguars’ ‘Train/Play’ in Brazil attracts record-breaking staff complement

Aug 09, 2018 Sports

---

As Guyana prepares for its first match of the CONCACAF Nations League in September, Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team, commonly known as the Golden Jaguars, will benefit from the most comprehensive and experienced Technical Staff Guyana’s National Football has ever had, during the “Train and Play” scheduled for August 12 – 26 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 17-man staff includes the Head Coach, Senior Coach, Goalkeeper Coach, Team Doctor, Head of Sports Science, Head of Recruitment and Player Liaison, Head of People and Culture, Performance Analyst and Head Scout, Development Coaches and operations staff.
Head Coach Michael Johnson said a qualified staff is critical to the achievement of the GFF’s national programme’s goals: “This comprehensive technical team is vitally important for the Nations League campaign; we are pushing the boundaries to keep up to date with modern football trends and compete with Regional and International competition. The Guyana-based Development Coaches are there on merit by excelling in recent CONCACAF/FIFA coaching courses as well as their work at various clubs and ATC’s. In Brazil, they will be mentored as part of their Coach Education but ultimately will have to prove their potential within the coaching staff, with the ultimate goal of taking the knowledge back into

their own coaching contexts.”
Johnson added that a top-class support staff is also necessary to “develop, inspire, and motivate not only the team but the nation.”
Technical Director, Ian Greenwood, said a “machinery of excellence” is being developed for the senior national programme: “The high quality professionals that complement the staffing structure are all vital cogs to the machinery of excellence as we look to develop a vibrant and successful senior national team programme.
Their primary focus is working to achieve the short, medium, and long-term targets of the GFF, but their expertise and added value of mentoring in areas of sports science, performance analysis, sports medicine, coaching methodology will significantly improve the national team programme at youth levels.”
President Wayne Forde, for his part, said this staff structure serves as a solid platform to realize greater success among the senior national team: “While we are laying in place a solid youth development foundation that will definitely evolve in the coming years, it is of critical importance that we build the Senior National Team’s management structure to support and maximize the performance of those players that emerge from the Youth Development structure.
The transfer of knowledge and expertise is a key objective in the selection of the National Team Staff. Our collaboration with Brazil will also buttress our capacity building targets. We have to be humble, patient and open to learning new and modern principles and methodologies.”
The “Train and Play” is a national encampment of senior footballers as part of the preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League. Guyana has been matched against Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands, French Guiana and Belize and will play host to Barbados and Belize in September 2018 and March 2019 respectively, while Turks and Caicos Islands and French Guiana will host Guyana in

October and November 2018.
TECHNICAL STAFF – Technical Director (Ian Greenwood), Head Coach (Michael Johnson), Senior Coach (Taff Rahman), Goalkeeper Coach (Ademola Bankole), Development Coach (Calvin Allen), Development Coach (Levi Braithwaite), Development Coach (Phillip Carrington), Development GK Coach (Eon DeVeira).
MEDICAL – Team Doctor (Dr. Alex Hawkins), Physiotherapist (Denzil Hernandez).
SPORTS SCIENCE – Head of Sports Science (Dr. Mark Faghy), Head of People & Culture (Michael Jones).
RECRUITMENT – Head of Recruitment & Player Liaison (Faizal Khan), Performance Analyst & Head Scout (Asser Lutu).
OPERATIONS – Team Operations Manager (Rawle Adams), Assistant Operations Manager (Ken Grant), Equipment Manager (Trevor Burnett).
Senior Men’s Staff: Fact Sheet
Men’s Senior Coach – Taff Rahman
• Academy Coach at Tottenham Hotspurs FC and Arsenal FC
• England Youth Team Coach
• England FA Coach Educator
Goalkeeper Coach – Ademola Bankole
• Former Professional and International Goalkeeper with Nigeria
• GK coach at Barnet FC, Colchester United, Queens Park Rangers

• England FA Goalkeeper Coach Educator
Performance Analyst & Head Scout – Asser Lutu
• Worked at Birmingham City FC, Wycombe Wanderers in analytics
• Performance analyst (Recruitment and GPS) – Qatar Stars League
• Head of Performance and Recruitment at Grimsby Town FC
Head of Recruitment & Player Liaison Officer – Faizal Khan
• Head of International Scouting Malta FA
• Head Scout with Trinidad & Tobago FA
• Assistant Manager & Head of Player Recruitment with Monserrat FA
Head of Sports Science – Dr Mark Faghy
• Worked at Nott’s County, Aston Villa and Derby County
• Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at University of Derby in 2016. He has expertise in applied exercise physiology and works regularly with professional sports clubs and athletes.
Head of People & Culture – Michael Jones
• Expert on culture and neuroscience having graduated in Masters of Sporting Directorship from Manchester University
• Has worked in Football, Horse racing, Rugby, and British Weightlifting

 

 

 

 

 

---

---