GFF to host physical preparation in football workshop

Jun 10, 2023 Sports

Kaieteur Sports – The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has announced that it will be conducting a four-day workshop on physical preparation in football for Elite League and Academy Training Centre coaches.

The workshop, which will be facilitated by GFF Fitness Coach Wilson Toledo, is scheduled to take place on June 10 and 11, and then again on June 17 and 25.

The physical conditioning training programme is aimed at improving game preparation and performance at academy and elite club levels, as the workshop will focuses on physical evaluation, training loads, volume and intensity, energy sources and training methods.

According to GFF Technical Director Bryan Joseph, the programme fills “a void that exists in the football fraternity for competence in physical preparation at Elite levels.”

Joseph added that “this aspect of preparation is not delved into on basic confederation licence courses therefore we are providing our coaches with the general hand-rails to enhance this pillar of the game.”

Academy Training Centre coaches will attend the course on June 10 and 17, while Elite League coaches and trainers’ sessions will be on June 11 and 25.

The training programme has several key objectives. One of them is to provide coaches with the hand-rails to guide how they approach this important pillar of football development. Another objective is to eliminate guesswork regarding the physical conditioning of players.

Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz fully supports the initiative, noting that “the knowledge gained will eliminate a lot of the guesswork and the ‘Hit and Miss’ approach to team preparation.”

The GFF said under President Wayne Forde, they’ve shown continued investment in the development of players and supporting staff through strategic training programmes sanctioned by FIFA and CONCACAF to ensure the advancement of the game at all levels.

According to Joseph, the GFF has a greater plan to create specialised programmes for coaches who may have a specific passion for physical preparation for football. This programme will be aligned to the GFF’s Coach education pathway and will come into effect after attaining a CONCACAF/ National “B” licence.