Coaching ● May 09, 2022
Resumption of face-to-face Continuous Coach Education sessions with COE and School Football Academies coaches
A Continuous Coaching Education session on 26 April 2022
SINGAPORE, 6 MAY 2022 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Coach Education Department (CED) recently concluded two Continuous Coach Education (CCE) sessions for Centre of Excellence (COE) and School Football Academy (SFA) coaches.
Held on 26 and 28 April 2022, the sessions covered the topics of Theories of Coaching and Safe Sport, and were both conducted at Jalan Besar Stadium by Philippe Aw (Head, Methodology, Interim Technical Director, FAS). Going forward, CCE sessions for COE coaches will be held twice a month for the rest of the year.
Elaborating on how the CCE sessions are conducted, FAS Head (CED) Zainudeen Hassan said: “All CCE sessions are tailored towards adult learners (andragogy) and during these sessions, we will move away from the conventional method of one-way ‘directive teaching’ to a more facilitative method where coaches share their own experiences and views. As Coach Developers, we aim to set a more open learning environment. During this session, we were encouraged to see coaches sharing their experiences with the group and we were also able to do likewise with our own experiences.”
FAS Head (CED) Zainudeen Hassan addressing the coaches
The CCE sessions were well-received by those in attendance, some of whom expressed their appreciation for the opportunities to enhance their knowledge.
“The session on Theories of Coaching provided us with a brief introduction to the various considerations coaches have to take in the development of players,” said Joseph Ng, SFA Assistant Coach at Assumption English Secondary School. “For example, the four learning styles within the VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic) model encourage us to rethink our teaching approach, or how scientific research points us to using videos as visual feedback to help support a player’s learning. This helps point us in the right direction to our next step which is how we can use these tools to coach the game more objectively. The session on Safe Sport is a good reminder for us to be self-aware of our actions and language within our work environment. Such as by being respectful to our colleagues and players, being culturally sensitive, ethically and morally upright, and maintaining professionalism, all while pushing boundaries and inspiring excellence. This also exemplifies how important our role can be for our players and our community.”
Shaiful, SFA Assistant Coach at Montfort Secondary School, noted: “The Theories of Coaching discussion helps coaches on understanding or enhancing in their planning when creating a session to cater for different kinds of learners which are primarily at the youth level. For example, using the VARK model method of teaching/coaching. My key takeaway from this session was: Prepare young footballers/athletes for their sporting future, not just the next competition. Safe Sport has created awareness regarding the verbal, physical and psychological abuse which is happening in the coaching scene. It’ll be recommended for coaches to create that self-awareness by practising self-reflection after each session in their way of communicating, handling, and the approach in delivering their session to an individual or as a team. My key takeaway from this session was: Creating a safer environment for athletes will be a long and arduous process, but the rewards will be fruitful.”
“The CCE sessions were very educational and informative,” added Noh Alam Shah, COE Under-15 Head Coach at Tanjong Pagar United FC. “The method used for the CCE sessions was good as we felt included with lots of Q&A sharing sessions and group work discussions. The sessions have brought awareness to how we can improve as coaches for our current and future players.”
