Coach Marlon Charles said coaching at youth level is key, as it is important for coaches to understand how to interact with junior players because it will determine how footballers develop.
Charles holds a B License and a Football Association (FA) license in coaching. He conducted a three-day coaching course for primary school football coaches at last weekend’s Atlantic Coaching Excellence (ACE) programme at the Queen’s Royal College Ground in St Clair.
Charles said the course gave him the chance to identify coaches who may have the potential to become coaches. “It is an introductory coaching course and we call it the C prep. It is an opportunity for us to identify coaches to go to the next level which is the C License,” Charles said. “These three days were an opportunity to see these coaches and see what they are made of.”
Attaining a C License would allow the participants to coach at the primary school level. Charles said the manner in which a coach relates to primary school students can determine how the child develops. He said coaches must guide players as opposed to telling them what to do.
“If you don’t present the correct way, then you might have players not developing the way that they should because it all has to do with age appropriate training. You have to know what age group you are coaching (and how to relate to them), and this is what this introduction is all about.
”Charles also said the coaches were informed of a coach’s role and the commitment that the job requires. “The focus started with the role of the coach which is very important. It is very important for a coach when you get into this business of coaching, you have to choose if you want to be partially involved or you want to be part of it totally. To do this job you have to be part of it totally.”