CONCACAF Nations League: Strength & conditioning major part of Golden Jaguars preparations

…with addition of South African Coach

Story and photos By Jemima Holmes

Referred to as the “Rolls Royce of Fitness”, South African Strength and Conditioning trainer Riedoh Berdien is up for an extended stint with Guyana’s senior men’s national football team.
Berdien is not a total stranger to the Golden Jaguars, having worked with the team previously and most recently, during the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminaries.
With the CONCACAF Nations League 2023/2024 fast approaching, Berdien will play an integral role in whipping the Golden Jaguars into shape, as they compete in League B.

During an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Berdien divulged on the necessity of his inclusion and the importance of strength and conditioning in the national team’s packed schedule.
“It’s very, very important, of course, ‘cause conditioning is obviously a key factor for a football player to maintain his injury prevention and also to have the physical demands of football and to the playing style that is needed at international levels. So, I think the conditioning part plays a huge role within the national team set-up, and proper conditioning,” the Strength and Conditioning Coach shared.
He added, “You have to have a conditioning method that is football specific, that is specific to the playing style, the genetics of the team for example. So, I think a core element of the whole method is basically the conditioning is top notch.”

Berdien emphasised the importance of strength and conditioning for such a packed international calendar in the space of three months, saying, “It’s a big challenge. Like you said, it’s six competitive games in a short space of time and that’s why I think these camps are so important, for the coach to have a look at the team and for us to assess how well the team is being conditioned, what levels they’re at and where we can actually improve them to be at the international level.
“Our aim is, obviously, to go into the next league and I believe we can do that with good physical preparation, football science needed as well, trying to get stuck into the players, you know, let them get into a routine and I, then I think we can be successful in the six games,” the Coach went on to opine.
Quizzed about where the team was at prior to his addition and where he hopes to take them, Berdien shared that there was a wealth of potential in the Golden Jaguars set-up.
Berdien explained, “Like I always say, you know, fitness is a process and this part is just the beginning of this process. We met up in Bermuda, obviously trying to assess the players, having players from abroad and the local based players. Basically, it’s not at the level where we would want it to be and where it can be, there’s a lot of potential here in Guyana, there’s a lot of potential to succeed and to grow as a football nation.
“I think now this part is just the start of the process from the conditioning method.”
The Coach also touched on the disparity in fitness levels between the team’s local and foreign based players, expressing an intention to bridge that gap.
“Look, when it comes to conditioning it’s not only one person, it’s myself and obviously the coaches that work together and try to improve the players from a physical standpoint as well. With regard to the level of conditioning, of course there is a difference between the abroad players and the local-based players. I think that’s got to do with the league that they obviously play in, the standard of training sessions, the intensity of the games, so, that’s normal everywhere else as well,” he related to this publication.
Berdien further stated, “We’re just trying to bridge that gap where we’re trying to improve the local-based players to make them more football specific and obviously try to blend everybody in and then try to reach success as a team.”
The Golden Jaguars are in Group D of League B alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas. The national team are scheduled to play their first game against Antigua on September 9.