Press Releases ● Jun 17, 2016
Inaugural FIFA Women’s Coaching Course In Singapore Concludes Successfully
SINGAPORE, 17 JUNE 2016: The inaugural FIFA Women’s Coaching Course in Singapore was successfully held from 12-16 June 2016.
35 participants, aged 18 to 38, attended the general coaching course conducted by FIFA instructor Ms Hesterine de Reus held at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
These participants, most of whom are Asian Football Confederation (AFC)-certified coaches, went through an intensive programme covering several topics including Training Preparation, Skills Training, Reading the Game and Simplifying Football. At the end of each day of the course, the participants were given an opportunity to put what they had learnt into practice with practical sessions, coaching players from Bowen Secondary School and the Singapore Under-14 Women’s National Team.
Ms Chen Caiying, the Head Coach of the Singapore Women’s National Team, was one of the participants. She lauded the expertise of de Reus, saying: “It has been a fruitful experience to learn from Hesterine over the past five days. I always believe we never stop learning as coaches, and the past week was a real eye-opener for me. I am grateful to have picked up so many excellent tips from a world-class expert.
“One particularly useful lesson I learnt was using small-sided games to improve the players’ defending and attacking skills; this is something I can immediately implement in my training sessions for the senior National Team and the Under-16 National Team,” the 33-year-old coach added.
Ms Nur Farhanah Bte Ruhaizat, the youngest participant at 18, was delighted to be part of the inaugural cohort. She said: “I want to thank FIFA and FAS for the past week, which has been an enriching experience for me. It is an invaluable opportunity to be learning from so many top footballing minds such as our instructor Hesterine de Reus and experienced course-mates like Coach Chen Caiying.”
The Under-19 Women’s international player, who is also coaching at Queensway Girls and Hong Kah FAS Cubs centres, added: “I am looking forward to implementing what I have learnt into both my coaching role and as a player.”
Ms Hesterine de Reus, the FIFA instructor who is also a technical expert for UEFA, gave a glowing assessment of the participants. She said: “The energy levels and passion of the girls gave me great motivation throughout the programme. I can see that there is a lot of coaching potential in these girls and I want them to continue growing in the sport, but never stop enjoying football as well. I think they will all make an impact in Singapore Women’s Football in the coming years.
“I also want to thank Julie and her FAS colleagues for the fine job in organising this course and for their hospitality. I enjoyed my time here and I look forward to helping Singapore Women’s Football over the coming weeks as I conduct clinics around the country with the support of FAS,” she added.
Other than on-the-pitch training, the participants were also taught how to organise footballing events including competitions, and promoting women’s football.
Ms Julie Teo, General Manager of Women’s and Grassroots Football, was delighted with the reception from the participants, saying: “This FIFA Women’s Coaching Course is a great opportunity for our female coaches to learn from Hesterine de Reus who is a top technical expert with UEFA and FIFA. I have received very positive feedback from every participant, which is great news for us as this shows it has been a successful course.
“I am also pleased to note that all our coaches in the Women’s National Teams set-up are able to attend the course, which will benefit our players at all levels in the long run.”
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
