Female football coaches get Grassroots’ teaching

Twenty-six local female football coaches were last week part of a five-day training course, exposed to the teaching of the sport to beginners.

The local coaches were under the guidance of Stephanie Gabbert and Allison Gibson, both of the USA.

The course included theory sessions done at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) office, with the practical carried out at the Victoria Park.

Reflecting on the course, Gabbert noted, “It was a really broad course, which was basically to help the participants become more comfortable with their coaching …It was about teaching women to coach and how to coach other women, so they can go out and get more girls excited about the game”.

Among the topics the participants were taken through were the various coaching methodologies, as well as football specifics, such as passing, dribbling and finishing.

Gabbert added, “They (participants) were very eager to learn and they were able to take what we have taught them and put them into practice”.

She said, as facilitators, they had first-hand experience of the participants’ abilities to pass on their knowledge, as they had stints at the CONCACAF Women’s Day last Saturday at the Campden Park Playing Field.

Meanwhile, Gibson said it is critical that efforts are continuously made to have more girls and women get involved.

“The women’s game is a very important part of football and it is one of these things that we have waited a long time for the rest of the world to invest in … It is about getting more girls involved,” Gibson underscored.

The Grassroots women’s course came at an opportune time, according to Wayne Grant, one committee members of the SVGFF.

He noted that it was timely, as more emphasis is being placed on the women’s game.

Grant said that the course also gave an insight into several of the female national players, who are nearing the end of their playing career, and can give back to the sport by getting engaged in coaching.