Coaches must get licensed

Marc Stamp, Gleaner Writer

Come September 1, local football coaches must get a licence to perform duties from the bench.

"It is very important as no sport can improve without significant knowledge base of the coaches," Captain Horace Burrell president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) said at the Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB)/ JFF/University of Technology (UTech) coaches education programme graduation ceremony at the JFF offices in New Kingston on Thursday.

"We decided to attack the issue of getting coaches qualified so we partnered with UTech and JMMB and since 2008, some 600 coaches have been licenced," Burrell added.

Under the new rules, all preparatory and primary school, parish, inter-collegiate and women's league head coaches and assistants must possess a JFF Advanced Level One licence or its equivalent.

Valid for two year

At the Premier League and high school levels - all head coaches and assistants must have a JFF Advanced Level Two licence or its equivalent.

The licencing period will last from September 2014 until August 31, 2016 and is renewable every two years.

All licenced coaches will have to complete eight hours of refresher courses per year beginning this year before the licence can be renewed. At least four of the eight hours must be a JFF conducted course.

The cost of the licence is $5,000 in the first instance. The registration for the already 600 certified coaches will begin this month and end on March 31. The registration period for additional coaches who will be trained between February and August 2014 will be announced at a later date.

Professor Errol Morrison, president of UTech was pleased with the steps being taken by the JFF.

"The JFF is making the foundation with science and technology as the developmental tool for the sport," he said.

"Coaches, you are now getting the under-pinning of the profession. There are so many areas you can pursue in the sport, so prepare yourself for opportunities that can present themselves," he charged.

Meanwhile, Kim Mair, CEO of the Joan Duncan Foundation, sponsor of the programme through the JMMB group said her foundation was proud to have partnered with the JFF and UTech "to help every Jamaican to tap into ways of advancing in their profession."

She also said the coaches will participate in transformational training sometime this year.

A total of 73 coaches received certificates at the ceremony. The top achievers were Jermaine Welds-Newell in Advanced Level One; Miguel Coley in Advanced Level Two; and Dennis Surgeon in Advanced Level Two.