Coaching ● Apr 21, 2017
Several Firsts in Second Module of AFC ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course
Several Firsts in Second Module of AFC ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course
After four months putting into practice what they learnt during the first module in November 2016, the participants of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course gathered once more at Jalan Besar Stadium and Geylang Field for the second module of the course in early April.
The module is led by FIFA and AFC Coaching Instructors Vincent Subramaniam and Mohamed Basir Ellaya Kutty, the latter of whom is the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) Head of Coach Education. Both Instructors also led the first module. This three-week long module builds up on the first module and covers more tactical and technical topics.
It is the first time in Singapore that an ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course is conducted over a few modules. On this approach, Instructor Subramaniam commented: “Normally an ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course is held over a month which is not ideal as all the information has to be condensed into a short time. You find that the participants in those courses are more stressed, and cannot really focus and deliver at the end of the course when their assessments are due.
“This modular structure involves more hard work on the part of the FAS, but it is important to produce a good effective course where the participants are given many opportunities to learn.”
The new module structure is not the only first in this course. One of the highlights of the course was a day-long visit to Malaysian football club Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) where the coaching participants toured the facilities and also met with the club’s officials.
Said Instructor Subramaniam: “We were the first ‘A’ Coaching Certificate Course participants who went on a club tour and engaged with a foreign club in such a way. It was a wonderful experience even for me.”
Other than a tour of the facilities, led by JDT Sporting Director Alistair Edwards, the coaches also participated in a dialogue session with the Head Coach Benjamin Mora.
Course participant Ricky Nelson from Indonesia enthused: “The visit was a good experience. From the meeting with the Sporting Director and Head Coach, I was able to gain some knowledge to bring back to my own club. I was inspired by the visit.”
Former Singapore international Noh Rahman, who is now working as a fitness coach in the FAS, was similarly pleased with the course structure and the various new elements that have been incorporated into the course. Describing the course as “enriching”, he said that with activities such as group discussions and role-playing scenarios also incorporated in the course, the coaches will be better equipped to handle various situations as head coaches in future.
The sentiment was echoed by Instructor Subramaniam who commented on the coach education system in Singapore: “The FAS has always been very supportive (in the development of coaches). Now we have Basir. He was working actively as Head of Coach Education in AFC, so having him on board with FAS is a very good move because he is able to bring back the ideas he has learnt and implement them in Singapore. And I think we have raised the standards; a certificate earned in Singapore would be a worthwhile certificate.”
The third module, scheduled for May to August 2017, will see the coaches being attached to a team of their choice on an internship to put theory into practice. The final fourth module, the assessment component of the course, will be conducted in September 2017.
