The coaches are eager to learn.

By Mwangi Ngamate
mwangi@caymannetnews.com

Over 16 football instructors received training in the Advanced level Coaching that ran from Friday up to Wednesday this week.

The course that was held at the University College of the Cayman Islands was an advanced programme to that which FIFA had conducted two years ago and is meant to bring them to the higher quality that is expected of football in the region.

Coach Alvin Corneal who is also a certified FIFA Coach said the instructors stood to learn about getting information about play as well as team administration.

“FIFA/CIFA sees this as important and they have sent us here particularly to share the most recent developments in football. So far the course has been successful,” said Mr Corneal.

The FIFA Coach noted that the coaching career highly depended on how a particular instructor chose to lead his team to improve quality.

“We cannot tell them word for word or play for play what to do, we can only share with them ideas and let them use them. Knowledge of these ideas and that of players will help them improve the quality of football in their teams”.

Mr Corneal said that football did not rely only on Coaches alone. “I expect the public to appreciate them, and to support them, there is not so much the public can do except to support the work done by the coaches and support the efforts of the players”.

The man who was an International player between1955-69 said that the public is a crucial factor that is always left out in football.

“They must be as patriotic to be able to support the sport whether things are going right or wrong. The demand is always for the coaches to do well but the public has a responsibility as well. Support is about 12 percent of success”.

He called on Cayman residents to support what is available in the country. “ Support what is available at this point and time; you are a country of 85,000-90000; you are in competition with countries with 1 million or 290 million as in the case of United States, you are in a region where you have more countries with more people than you have, you have to support the slower gradual rate of the Cayman Islands and you should not give up”.

“If you (public) give up then the players will give up and your responsibility as the public is to work hard and support them and let them know you appreciate what you are doing”

Absolving the coaches from all blame when games go wrong, Mr Corneal said that some times it is just better to look at the mirror to tell what has gone wrong in a game. It is not always the coach at all times, some times it is the administration, some times it is as deep as the limited facilities available to the players, the list could be a million things”, he said.

“The Coach is always the guinea pig in the whole scenario and when the game is won it is always the players and when is lost it is the coach, ”said Mr Corneal.

Another Coach, Scott O’Donell also led the programme. He said that the coaches in the Cayman Islands were enthusiastic which is also crucial apart from having the knowledge of football. “They are wanting to learn, are hungry to improve their knowledge and coaching experience and it has been a good course.”

Scott O’Donell started his professional career in 1984 playing Auburn Uruguay FC then moved to Penrith Uruguay FC, Rockdale Illinden, Napier City Rovers, Parramatta Eagles, Kuala Lumpur Marine Castle United FC Tampinesand Rovers FC among others.

Currently he is the Coach of the Cambodia national team.

Coaches present included National Coach Carl Brown, Scholars’ Armado Ebanks. Elite’s Gregory Ebanks, Sunset’s Paul Macey , Future’s Olsen Bush, Bodden Town’s Balfour Walters, and Elite’s Martha Godet. Others were Cayman Athletic Sports Club’s Lovane Jovan, Women’s United’s Bobby McLaren, Philip Gayle of Roma, and Joseph Morgan of Sting Ray.

Referee Winston Blackwood also attended the course.