Football coaches urged to serve country

CONCACAF president Jack Austin Warner urged regional football coaches to step forward and serve their country. He made the call in an inspiring address to the 42 participants from 17 CONCACAF countries attending the FA International Coaching Licence Course at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya, Tunapuna, yesterday.

Coaches from Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, United States, Haiti, Mexico, Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, US Virgin Islands and the host country are attending the course which is equivalent to the UEFA “B” Licence, a pre-requisite for the world renowned UEFA “A” Licence. The course is being conducted by FA instructors Michael Hennigan and Steve Rutter.

Warner, a vice-president of FIFA told participants yesterday, “You have an important responsibility. It is not good enough to come here to listen, get a certificate, go home and believe you have completed your task.  That would be a complete waste of time. “You must put your new knowledge at the service of your country. You owe it to those who sent you here and to the young players who are looking for your guidance. “The work you are doing during this course is nothing compared to the work you must do when you return home.”

Warner, who is also president of the Caribbean Football Union cited work done by CONCACAF coaches in the past and said, “something has been happening out there. “When you look at the lst World Cup, it is an obvious sign of progress.  Not just the results but also the performances of the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica  were exceptional. “ In addition, there are now 167 footballers from CONCACAF countries playing professionally outside our confederation, in Europe, South America and Asia. “So clearly, a lot of work has been done to improve the standard of play within CONCACAF.  Our coaches, administrators, people like yourselves and those who built and paid for this beautiful Centre of Excellence must be commended highly for their efforts,” he added.

Meanwhile, beginning next month, CONCACAF will stage a two-day seminar on Tactics and Systems of Play for senior coaches to be conducted by Trinidadian instructor Alvin Corneal and Andy Roxborough, UEFA technical director. Registration for this seminar closes on April 4.