Golden Jags’ Shabazz completes communications course in Europe

Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz has added a new feather to his cap following his completion of a Strategic Communications Course at Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Academy in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday.
Shabazz was the only football coach among a group of Communications Experts from the European Football Union (UEFA). The UEFA Strategic Communications Compact Course was held during the period January 24-27, and was attended by the heads of media and communications for countries including France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Wales, Norway, Finland and Turkey, among others.
The Trinidad-born Shabazz viewed his attendance as a personal investment in his career. “It’s important to equip myself with additional competencies, since a lot of our work in modern football involves communication and human resource management,” Shabazz explained. “UEFA is the most advanced Confederation in FIFA, and this experience has sharpened my insight for an adjusted approach in terms of communication.”
Topics delivered at the UEFA Strategic Communications course included Evidence-oriented communications, Quantifying the impact and benefits of PR in the modern world, Content strategy and campaigns, Political Advocacy, and Introduction to issues of management & crisis communications.
“When we look at the impact UEFA Champions League has on our psyche in the Caribbean, it reflects a clear communications strategy that has worked and influenced the world. The ambitions we have for 2026 demand a competence greater than coaching. We have to mobilise a country and get different stakeholders working towards one objective,” Shabazz related.
The Senior Men’s Head Coach mentioned a need for Federations in the Caribbean to recruit young people and invest in the future.
“There are techno-savvy youngsters born after 2000 that we are not utilising at all. They can reach the masses faster than a press conference with just a touch of their phone.” He added, “We need to recruit them, because they understand communicating in the here-and-now.
Despite his personal investment, Shabazz acknowledged the role of the Office of the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, the Ministry of Sport, Culture and Youth in Guyana, Go Logistics, and the GFF in making his trip possible.
The Guyana National Coach will leave Switzerland over the weekend, and spend 10 days in the United Kingdom observing overseas-based players.