Coaching ● Feb 08, 2018
First AFC ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course of 2018 kicks off
Singapore, 8 February 2018: The first Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course of the year kicked off on Monday at Jalan Besar Stadium.
The eight-day course runs from 5-14 February and will equip participants with the necessary skills to coach players aged between 10 and 13. The participants of the course come from varied backgrounds – from current to former S.League players to community coaches. Among the coaches is Guam FA Coaching Development Officer Dominic Gadia who is attending the course as an observer. He is also part of the Guam National Team coaching staff and is here on recommendation from Guam FA Technical Director Belinda Wilson to observe the course. Belinda was in Singapore for the FIFA Women’s Coaching Course held last September.
Dominic said: “There are many similarities between what Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is doing with coaching education and what we are trying to set up in Guam. The methods that the FAS is using is modern, updated and reality-based and are something that we will be trying to imitate in Guam.”
Course participant Nurhilmi Jasni who plays for Hougang United FC this season said that the course has been insightful not only because he is learning the basics of coaching but also because he is now able to better understand the reasoning behind his coach’s training sessions.
He explained: “With this course, I want to get a more in-depth understanding of coaching. More importantly, I want to be able to give back to the community with the knowledge I gain through the course. Currently I’m involved in Hougang United FC’s outreach programmes where we conduct coaching clinics for children. I believe this course will be able to help me better coach these children.”
His teammate Fabian Kwok added: “It is good to see that the FAS is looking into ways for players to build a career after football and making such paths open to players. The course has been enriching for me as a player and with the skills I am picking up from the course, I can keep my options open and also consider a career in coaching after I hang up my boots.”
As the course is held before the football season commences, footballers were encouraged to take up the course to develop their capabilities in coaching. In line with the FAS strategic intent to build a robust ecosystem of coaches, this is the first of three such courses to be conducted this year. The FAS encourages players to continually learn new skills to enhance their capabilities, and coaching courses are one of the avenues that players can consider exploring.
