Making the process grow and blossom

The reintroduction of some form of competitive football at the primary schools’ level is indeed a welcome intervention at this time.

Years of clamouring for its return have finally been answered, as anyone would admit that it was a missing link in football programme here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Incidentally, most of the last crop of what we may term our best footballers of the recent past, had come through the primary school system, hence the reason for the call.

This is not without considering the fact that there are a few football academies around, a Grassroots’ Football programme under the aegis of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation; a national inter-community Under-13 competition; and that several teams and clubs have developmental arms, which involve persons of pre-teen age.

But in the excitement of having the primary schools’ process started, one should not believe that it is the panacea for the sport here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Competitions are merely the output of the many training processes that have taken place.

Also, those who are responsible for having the festival come to fruition should not see it as a feather in their cap, but part of their administrative responsibilities.

Also, it is rather disheartening that only 19 schools of the 60-odd primary institutions answered the call for the revival of the competition, albeit in a festival type format.

Whatever the challenges, the principals of those schools who chose not to participate would have denied many budding footballers an opportunity to show off their wares.

Set aside the downside, what then can be done to ensure that another drought of such a critical undertaking does not re-occur soon.

The primary schools football festival provides an opening for us to correct some of the fundamentals of the sport, as the school setting is inherent with more control than the team/club or community set-up.

Additionally, the school system affords more students of both sexes the opportunity to get a feel of competitive football, hence strengthening the female component of the sport, which is struggling to get island-wide acceptance.

Therefore, in making the restart sustainable, the local football body, along with the Ministry of Education, should work in tandem to have coaches assigned to the various schools, instead of relying too much on the teachers.

Whilst the bulk of the teachers are willing to help, most of them are not equipped with the knowledge and expertise to impart the skills needed at that critical juncture of the students’ development.

And, finding personnel to fuel this thrust should be not problematic, as there are a large number of certified coaches who have been trained under the many technical courses that have been held over the years.

Also at the schools’ disposal is equipment that is in the possession of the executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, which would ensure ease of implementation, and ultimately success.

Such a task is imperative, as we have seen that most of the current stock of players, who are deemed the best, are still lacking the basic techniques, while some who were seldom exposed to formal coaching, are really and truly not coachable.

The efforts towards getting the system to work can come to zero if all the stakeholders do not buy in wholesale and do what it takes to make it blossom and sustainable.

One also has to be cognizant that there would always be a juggle for other competing factors for the students’ time; hence, a well-planned and structured programme is critical.

So, now that football has gone on its path of getting the cradle active, the spotlight is now on cricket which has been far too absent at the primary level for some time, and should join the train of renewal of efforts.