Women-only CONCACAF ‘C Licence’ course commences

The Coach Education Department of the Guyana Football Federation continues to focus on efforts to grow female homegrown coaching talent with twenty-four former and current national players, club, school and community coaches starting the journey towards Concacaf W ‘C Licence’ certification.
This six-day, women-only course opened at the GFF National Training Centre at Providence, EBD with a strong showing from aspiring female coaches from nine regional associations across Guyana. Women’s Football Association President Andrea Johnson, in her brief opening address, said the course is a step in the right direction for women’s football development in Guyana.
“Today is a historic day for women in football in Guyana. Never before have we had 24 female participants for any coaching course. For too long, we have had a male-dominated coaching staff for female teams, especially national teams. For CONCACAF to be here in Guyana to do a ‘C Licence’ coaching course for only women means that we are making another step towards development of the women’s game,” she said.
The “blended learning” programme is being facilitated by Anton Corneal, CONCACAF Coaching Educator and former Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association; GFF acting Technical Direction Bryan Joseph, and Coach Linsworth Gilbert. The first part involves online theoretical lessons, followed by practical sessions at the GFF National Training Facility.
This internationally-recognised licence would give participating coaches the skills set and knowledge to design and deliver effective coaching sessions for a wider range of players and scenarios, especially for youth football development through the GFF’s nationwide network of Academy Training Centres. CONCACAF Coaching Educator Anton Corneal has stressed that the “long term effect is actually growing the women’s game.
“Countries are at different starting points, and we try to meet countries where there is a need. There is a need for women coaches. Concacaf has recognised that, and has decided to spend a lot of time growing the women’s game. We need this effort; we need to ignite that growth,” Corneal has said.
Guyana is the fifth country in the CONCACAF region to conduct the ‘C Level’ coach training. It aims to provide over 300 women across the region with the opportunity to coach at various levels.
GFF 1st Vice-President Brigadier (ret’d) Bruce Lovell added: “In the footballing world, there is a greater push to have more female involvement in football. We hear issues such as ‘equitable access, equitable pay’, and so we are doing our part here at the GFF to ensure that we implement more programmes that will provide for greater female participation in the sport.”
Acting Technical Director Bryan Joseph has assured participants that the GFF is focused on growing the proficiency of the female coaches. He explained: “This is not a course (which) at the final day we will do an assessment to determine whether you have passed or failed. The persons who are not yet quite ready to receive the licence, GFF will continue to work with them over time, and to help them develop and get to the level of competency that is required to attain the licence.”
In 2015, GFF President Wayne Forde inherited an ecosystem of coaches who had no valid qualifications. The GFF Technical and Education Department has since enabled the progress of an all-time high 58 coaches to ‘D’ Licence or ‘C Licence level, and has introduced a coaching philosophy and pathway to ensure a uniform approach to football development across the GFF’s nine regional associations. The course concludes on November 29th.