“You can’t follow the crowd” – Wilson

‘Professionalism is the way out’ is a sentiment that was recently emphasized by Sport Consultant and Scout Narada Wilson, who was recently tasked with selecting the most valuable player of the 6th KFC Goodwill International Schools’ football tournament.
Wilson was at the time discussing the ‘ghetto’ aesthetic that has been attached to the sport across the region in recent years, highlighting how professional conduct can counter that misconception.
The Scout explained, “I heard that is something that is happening across the Caribbean, where football is a grassroots sport. It’s a sport that has come from communities that surround a football field so, you find that they come from communities that we consider the lower socioeconomic demographic but that does not mean that moving from the lower socio- economic bracket to another means that you have to carry about whatever is the stigma about that community.”
“Football is a sport now, where professionalism takes you to the furthest part. So, these kids have to realise that the reflection of your community, even if it’s a lower socio- economic community, is not necessarily what makes you a better footballer or not,” he went on to note, emphasizing the need for eloquence, conduct, understanding and positive responses to conflicts and results.
Highlighting that a player’s background has little to do with their capabilities, Wilson doubled down on the value of respecting the rules of the sport.
“If you come from a particular background, that says very little about how far you can actually reach. What we’re looking for, are players who pay respect to the sport. There’re rules for a reason; you wear shin guards so you don’t get injured, you wear your socks up, you wear your jerseys in your pants. We should go back to those things. Because if you look at some of the best players in the world, they have not done those things in their formative years. There’s room for style and all that, but it doesn’t take away from the hard work that they’ve put in,” Wilson shared.
He continued, “For me, coming from any socio- economic background, your focus should be ‘how much more could I do?’. I can’t spend time in the streets, I can’t spend time idlily, if my goal is to become the next best player.”
The scout went on encouraged players to spend more time on their craft.
“You talk to some of the players from Trinidad, where I’m from, we hear stories about Dwight Yorke, who spent more time on the football field than in some cases, even school. And it shows that you need to be spending more time on your craft so you can come out and then go back to these same communities and let people be proud of you, for something positive.”
The scout further opined, “Where you could even leave or better their lifestyle there. Football is just the channel and I think they have to understand that there’re steps. Discipline is number 1, positivity is number 2 but just keeping your goal, focusing and realising that you can’t follow the crowd, you journey is totally different to most.”