Coaching ● Dec 21, 2016
Revamped FAS/AFC ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course Structure Receives Glowing Reviews
Revamped FAS/AFC ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course Structure Receives Glowing Reviews
The last Football Association of Singapore (FAS)/Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course of the year began on 12 December with 24 participants, along with Mr Nophodol Pibulvech, an instructor from Thailand who was invited to observe the course. He is the first external instructor to observe the course since the revamp of the FAS/AFC and Grassroots Coaching Courses this year.
The eight-day course, which will end on 21 December, comprises both theoretical and practical sessions. It aims to develop coaches to train young players aged 10-13, and introduce the coaches to basic coaching principles, methodologies, and processes.
Mr Pibulvech spoke highly of the changes made to the course: “This is a solid and progressive course and will be good for Singapore’s development. More than anything, it’s a module that can fit well into the path towards developing youth players. I’m looking forward to seeing the continuation of this module as it allows the coaches to do more realistic practical sessions, and absorb and digest the information they are receiving.”
Head of Coach Education Mohamed Basir Ellaya Kutty said: “We have seen a lot of positive outcomes after the restructuring of our course, which is why we are confident about sharing this with our neighbouring Member Associations in order to further the development of coaching not just in Singapore but in the region. The assessment for the ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Course that was conducted in May just concluded, and we saw a lot of improvement in terms of practical coaching and the coaches’ confidence level.”
The revamp of the FAS/AFC ‘A’ and ‘B’ Coaching Diploma and ‘C’ Coaching Certificate courses is designed to be in line with FAS’ youth development plans. The courses now have clearly defined objectives and are grouped by age and level of play. The topics covered in each are also specific to the level that the participants will be coaching at.
The revamped courses adopt a modular approach to the delivery of the courses, and engage multiple tutors for a more detailed delivery of the topics.
Contact time within the course has also increased, owing to the fact that assessment is conducted only upon completion of the course, when the participant is ready. This gives the participants time to internalise and put into practice what they learnt in the course before being assessed.
Mr Basir said: “By scheduling the assessments later, we can see that the participants are now more focused on learning and sharing. The tutors are more like facilitators and the sessions are driven by the participants. We are also exploring new and more interactive ways of delivering the course such as via panel sessions, group discussions and using video recordings of practical sessions to enhance learning.”
In this course, the participants had a panel session on the role of a Youth Coach with Junior Centre of Excellence Coaches Jasni Hatta and Jaslee Hatta, as well as Mr Pilbulvech, who is the Head Coach for the Thailand Under-14 and Under-16 Girls’ National Teams. The panel sessions allow for more in-depth discussions on the topic with more personal perspectives shared during the session.
Mr Jasni enthused: “The questions asked during the panel session were very relevant and we discussed the problems the participants faced in their various academies. It’s good to share my experiences but at the same time I also learnt from the participants. It was great to hear from Mr Pibulvech, who has been a coach for 35 years in different countries including America, in addition to his native Thailand.”
Mr Jasni also conducted the practical session on Monday with players aged between 10 and 13. Such sessions, part of Reality-based Learning, are conducted with players who are of the same age as the players that the participants will coach. The participants observe the session with specific tasks to complete.
Another dimension that has been added to the practical sessions is Experiential Learning. Participants visit the actual environment where the players train at to observe their training session. Experiential Learning has been rolled out for the FAS Grassroots Coaching Course and will be implemented for the other coaching certificate courses next year.
Coach Nur Azureen bte Abdul Rahman, currently coaching youths aged 8-14, is the only female participant in the ongoing course. She said: “I like the mix of theoretical and practical classes in the course. Through this course, I hope to refresh my memory on coaching techniques.”
Warriors FC goalkeeper Hyrulnizam Juma’at, who also recently attended the FIFA Grassroots Coaching Course, added: “The course is helpful to me both as a coach and as a player. Aside from learning as much as possible through this course, I would also like to build more contacts and expand my network here. As the participants came from various academies, we are able to share diverse ideas and the different coaching methods with each other.”
There will be three FAS/AFC ‘C’ Coaching Certificate Courses in 2017. More details on the courses will be released on the FAS website and Facebook page closer to the commencement of the courses.
