HALLGRIMSSON...I think though a problem with most here in Jamaica is that they are waiting for something to happen.
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While admitting that there is a deficit in Jamaica’s football where coaching education is concerned, senior Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the onus is on coaches across the island to make the necessary step towards personal development until better opportunities arise.
Hallgrimsson shared this view after engaging coaches during a recently-concluded two-month tour of the island where he, along with assistants John Wall and Merron Gordon, hosted clinics and assessed facilities, as well as some aspiring national players.
Though the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Concacaf occasionally hosts licence coaching courses, and there was also the Joan Duncan Foundation-sponsored coaching school, the general consensus, according to Hallgrimsson is that those are inadequate.
“It was quite similar in every parish. Everyone talked about coaching education, lack of coaching education and the lack of opportunities to learn. So, I think that was one of the concerns. The second thing was, was the pitches and that has been kind of my cry, from day one that we really need to improve our facilities, our pitches,” Hallgrimsson shared in a recent interview with Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) media.
“That is in every parish. The coaches and the administrators of clubs were complaining about both lack of access to pitches and also the quality of the services and because of that, some or most parish coaches said it was sometimes difficult to get kids into training,” he added.
Well aware that coaches play a significant role in player development, particularly at the grassroots and youth levels, Hallgrimsson agreed that proper coaching education and good facilities should be given more consideration for investments, but in the same breath, the Icelander argued that coaches need to take more initiative in certain regards.
“I think though a problem with most here in Jamaica is that they are waiting for something to happen. The complaints are that an investor needs to come and change this, or the JFF needs to do it, or the government needs to do this so we can do that. But I think it all starts and finishes with us as coaches,” he declared.
“We just need to start to roll, to get things rolling to make football attractive, to make kids want to come to your football sessions. It's not even about the facilities, even though they are important in developing good football players, but it's about the coach. So, I think it all starts with us coaches to do whatever we can do to get the best training we can from what we have,” Hallgrimsson opined.
That said, Hallgrimsson pointed out that with the right enthusiasm, coaches can utilize the advancement in technology to improve their knowledge of the profession, not just technical and tactical, but more around fitness, nutrition, recovery and the psychological aspect of things.
“Even now, the high-level teams are looking into how players sleep, their breathing, into meditation, all of these things. So, I would say at the moment, Jamaica is behind in coaching education, and we need to step up there. The good thing about today is the technology. The technology there is so fantastic that you can actually tap into all knowledge in a flash,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.
He continued: “So if you are an enthusiastic coach, you can actually with Google, go into the correct websites and apps and you can get all the knowledge you need so you can fast forward your coaching education. So even though it will be a license system, and you need a licence as a coach, you can still be a really, really good coach without a licence.
“So, you know two things goes go hand in hand. I think if you have a licence, you've already gone through some learning process, but you could also be a good coach without the licence. So, I encourage everyone just to be creative and look for information if you are, if you are a coach.”
Still, Hallgrimsson stressed the need for holistic development in the country’s football, both from a coaching and a facilities perspective.
“For players’ development, the two most important ingredients are coaching education and the facilities to coach football, and both are pretty much behind here in Jamaica. Only with changing these two factors will the development of players be totally different as it will be faster to produce better players,” said Hallgrimsson.
“There are a lot of other factors to produce good players, but if these two are lacking, then there will always be a hurdle that will be difficult to jump over. Therefore, the sooner we change those things, the quicker we develop,” he ended.
The tour was a part of Hallgrimsson’s objective to focus on local players in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) and gauge their progress for possible inclusion in his team for the CONMEBOL Copa America and Concacaf World Cup qualifiers later this year. The Boyz are scheduled to face United States in the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals on March 21.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
World Cup Girlz back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of experienced players for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal, when they visit Brazil for a two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games, scheduled for June 1 and 4, are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada last September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication yet that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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