Football in SVG needs a Youth Development programme

Editor: Through the years we have been hyped over the little success of Vincy Heat senior men’s team, not realizing that that success will fade and has faded away because of the football infrastructure in St Vincent and the Grenadines and the region beyond.

The footballing public has failed to realize where are we falling .

The main structure in any success in sports is Youth Development, whereby football “soccer” is introduced, mobilize the youths, introduce them to the beautiful game , educate them, teach them so they will love the beautiful game of football, “soccer “.

This is where the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation has to play a major part in the enhancement and growth of the sport.

Clubs:

Giving these clubs such a big task without the proper financing is wrong in every way.

Each club must have a trained Youth Developmental Officer or a Youth coordinator.

Train youth coaches, proper training equipment, the right size ball, cones , hurdles, rings , goals, etc .

One of the main issues in Vincy; too [many] football clubs and not enough quality of players , the standard of football in St Vincent and the Grenadines is very, very low, you can look at a league game and tell that there’s no youth development in SVG.

The main reason we fail at the youth level is because of the lack in youth development . We put a youth team or senior team out there in Concacaf tournaments and expect success, hell no, we could never be successful when we are missing all the fundamentals of the game and lack of youth structure.

We got to the point where we are organizing festivals on Saturdays in different zones where kids come and play to pick a youth National Team.

Where are the proper training sessions, the development process, the kids are just put out there to play and we are to select national youth teams from that? total bogus and Mamagui. How can we compete on any level when there’s no youth structure, we are [spinning] top in mud.

Concacaf Nation League B first round has just [been]completed. Vincy Heat is at the bottom of the table, staring at relegation, cannot qualify for the Gold Cup, Why ?

Factors:

The lack of youth development, so the players miss the fundamentals.

The coach has the players running up and down convincing them that Beep test is the right thing to get them to his standard, meanwhile we can’t connect six passes together, we don’t know how to play in the gaps, moments is off, they look like Sunday Sweaters, poorly coached , poorly prepared in all aspects of the game SVGFF, you have failed us tremendously, if we want a good future in the beautiful game and be successful, you have to invest in youth development coaching, have a proper Youth Development Officer ,work with the clubs, establish youth coordinators within the clubs.

Invest in equipment , focus on youth development is the only way forward.

We’re running from youth development but we can’t hide.

Renrick ‘Scrambler’ Alexander