PROMINENT local footballers Ahkeela Mollon, Kerry Baptiste, Hector Sam and Marvin Oliver are among 21 individuals, some former players, who have passed the CONCACAF 'D' Licensed course and have received official certification from the Confederation.
The participants received their certificates earlier this month after the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) hosted the one week CONCACAF D 'Licence' course at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in April.
The objective of the course was to introduce coaches to the basics of coaching young players in a player-centred environment. Among the topics of the course were the role of the coach educator; Principles of Coaching; Principles of the Game; Age Appropriate training; Session training; Physical training; Small sided games; Goalkeeping; Health and Safety and Community Club development.
Among the locals passing the course which included a final examination, were former national players Kerry Baptiste, Marvin Oliver, Glenton Wolfe and Hector Sam as well as Crown Trace FC head coach Nicholas Griffith.
On the women's side, national team players Ahkeela Mollon, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Ayanna Russell and Jinelle Nedd were also certified. Six participants were ordered to retake the course.
TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee congratulated each of the participants who passed the course.
"This is definitely a most pleasing and positive sign for us in terms of our development. It shows that we have young, aspiring coaches who are prepared to contribute to the development of football in this country and there is a real focus on our youth development and grassroots level which were the main areas of focus during the CONCACAF D licence course," Tim Kee stated.
LIST OF CONCACAF 'D' LICENCE GRADUATES:
Joel Gibbon, Jinelle Noel, Justin Latapy, Michael De Four, Ahkella Mollon, Shivaurn Harding, Nicholas Griffith, Pire Ryan, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Ayana Russel, Devin Elcock, Marvin Oliver, Hector Sam, Kerry Baptiste, Kyle Small, Duane Richardson, Bevon George, Vasudev Vishnu, Maurice Eligon, Jinelle Nedd, Anson Scott, Glenton Wolfe
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Webb hails TTFA for development initiatives
T&T Newsday Reports.
Concacaf president Jeffrey Webb has commended the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association for its ongoing efforts to promote the development of football.
The TTFA will host a Concacaf Advanced Level Goalkeeping Course from May 28-30 at its offices at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. The course will be led by American instructor Claine Plummer, formerly of American Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs LA Galaxy and Chivas USA.
The course is Concacaf’s newest to the list and will be the first advance goalkeeping course being delivered by Concacaf.
Recently the TTFA also hosted the Concacaf D License Course which saw 21 local coaches being certified. A second “D” License Course will take place in Tobago this month while Refereeing and other Administrative and Technical courses are also on the schedule for this year.
President Webb, in a statement, said these were positive steps being taken by the TTFA.
“These types of development initiatives are what keeps football progressing in our region, and I commend the Association’s efforts to grow the game by creating significant educational opportunities to further enhance the skills of our goalkeepers and players,” Webb stated on Saturday.
Persons interested in participating in the goalkeeper course can contact the TTFA at 623-9500 or ttfa1908@gmail.com. The cost is $700. The course curriculum is as follows: Structure practices and training, Crossing Zones, Angle Play, Modern Techniques, Training, Distribution, Breakaways and Mistake management.