Football heads collect big bucks, do little for Football

Fri, Sept 30. 2011

Editor: Having read my two previous articles, you may agree or disagree that the moderate performances and the fall of the sport of Football was caused by executives, and especially team administrators who are inexperienced.{{more}}

Most of these people are not knowledgeable of the process of the player and sport development.

Educational programs held during the summer, workshops and conferences for the various departments of each soccer league; secretaries, treasurers, referees, trainers, coaches, team managers and administrators, will enhance each league organization, their communities, participants and competitors, also making all more aware and confident when going to take a test at a soccer course.

The FIFA Technical and Financial funds are there to assist with the training of all these stakeholders. The problem is that the executive members and those who wish to conduct the courses cannnot. Neither do they recognize the value of the courses. They should also look to the Ministry of Education for help, so that they can work with schools so that the sport could be developed holistically.

As a coach and possibly the youngest past president, I offer my assistance. I was trained in Brazil and contracted to coach in the USA for years, during which I travelled to several states. In the process, I became a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. I have been writing in the newspapers since the 1970’s imparting soccer knowledge.

I trained for the post of Technical Director, won many championship titles as player and coach. Having been an excellent player with Avenues United, which introduced Nine-a-Side football, also helped me to start coaching clinics for males and females. I later founded the over 35’s league, organized many different kinds of tournaments (Soccerama) and held clinics on the mainland and the Grenadines.

I was able to achieve this and sharing these developments due to the many coaching and soccer courses and programs I have attended here in SVG and abroad.

Thanks must be given to UNESCO and Mr. Stone of Umbro, Vogelsinger of Puma, many businesses, patrons, players and coaches in SVG.

Can anyone say what the Technical Directors have contributed to enhance Vincentians knowledge and performances that I have not done? Let’s be reminded, local coaches took SVG’s world cup team to the second round, then came the technical directors and they took us no further, but collected big bucks and the second round experiences. They then walked out.

Our local coaches should have gained that experience to improve our future players for the next World Cup, so that we would not be struggling today.

You encourage and elect misleaders and promisers because they can give you something personal in return; you have not realized or can’t recognize what you have been doing all these years. You are the ones who are partly responsible for the coaches. You are more experienced and knowledgeable than most of the sport process of development. Therefore, let’s build, correct and develop; don’t start over.

Developing the sport for the love, while the executive and friends do little and get paid is something to think about.

Rollit Walrond