CONCACAF WOMEN

‘C’ LICENSE COACHING CERTIFICATION

The Guyana Football Federation’s

Education Department continues to focus on efforts to grow female homegrown coaching talent with 24 former and current national players, club, school and community coaches starting the journey towards CONCACAF W ‘C’ licence certification. The six-day women-only course opened on November 24, 2022 at the GFF National Training Centre in Providence, East Bank Demerara, with a strong showing from aspiring female coaches from nine regional associationsacrossGuyana.

Women’s Football Association President Andrea Johnson said it was a significant milestone in women’s football development in Guyana “Today is a historic day for women in football in Guyana. Never before have we had 24 female participants for any coaching course. For too long we have had a male-dominated coaching staff for female teams, especially national teams. For CONCACAF to be here in Guyana to do a C Licence coaching course for only women means that we are making another step towardsdevelopmentofthewomen’sgame.”

The first part of the “blended learning” programme, facilitated by Anton Corneal, CONCACAF Coaching Educator and former Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, GFF acting Technical Director Bryan Joseph and coach Linsworth Gilbert, involved online theoretical lessons followed by practical sessions at the GFF National Training Centre. The internationally-recognised licence will give participating coaches the skills and knowledge to design and deliver effective coaching sessions for a wider range of players and scenarios, especially for youth football development through the GFF’s nationwide network of Academy Training Centres.

CONCACAF Coaching Educator, Anton Corneal,stressedthatthe“long-termeffectis actually growing the women’s game Countries are at different starting points and we try to meet countries where there is a need.

“There is a need for women coaches. CONCACAF has recognised that and has decided to spend a lot of time growing the women’s game. We need this effort; we need to ignite that growth.” Guyana is the fifth country in the CONCACAF region to conduct the ‘C’ Level coaching training which aims to provide over 300 women across the region with the opportunity to coachatvariouslevels.

GFF First Vice-President Brigadier (ret.) Bruce Lovell added: “In the foot-balling world there is a greater push to have more female involvement in football. We hear issues such as equitable access, equitable pay and so we are doing our part here at the GFF to ensure that we implement more programmes that will provide for greater female participation in the sport.” In 2015, GFF President Wayne Forde inherited an ecosystem of coaches with no valid qualifications.

The GFF Technical and Education Department has since enabled the progress of an all-time high 58 coaches to ‘D’ licence or ‘C’ licence level, as well as introduced a coaching philosophy and pathway to ensure a uniform approach to football development across the GFF’s nineregionalassociations.

ThecourseconcludedonNovember29.

“Today is a historic day for women in football in Guyana. Never before have we had 24 female participants for any coaching course”

Andrea Johnson President Women Football Association