Lincoln Phillips makes steady progress.
By: Flex Mohammed.[/size]
Trinidad and Tobago Technical Director Lincoln Phillips touches on his progress with T&T football and everything that surrounds it since returing home. His latest project would be his initiative to improve the coaching education environment at all levels of participation.
Lincoln said "the D License (over 300 already certified throughout the country) is a basic course for coaches who work with players ages 10 -13. During this period of their development, just like their classes in school, the youths must be exposed to the proper mechanics of performing technique. If the proper mechanics of passing, receiving, dribbling, shooting, heading, running, jumping, goalkeeping are taught from an early age then we would not see the deficiencies that plague all levels of our football in the areas of possession, speed of play, penetration, finishing, goalkeeping and defending.
"My aim is to develop a huge base of D license coaches throughout the country in order to meet the needs of coaches working with youths of primary school age (9,10, 11) and early secondary school age(12, 13). In just 3 years in the job I have certified over 300 + D license coaches. I have now expanded my coaching staff to 10 coaches so we expect to have 5 to 6 D license courses going on at the same time. Within the next three years we expect the number of D license coaches to go past the 1,000 mark. We understand that quantity is not quality so plans are in place to conduct refresher and continuing education courses in the near future. These seminars will include day sessions on possession, defending, goalkeeping, nutrition, football fitness, ethical issues in sports, how to conduct an effective practice session, finishing etc etc.
"As we continue to develop our coaching education program, we will send more of our staff coaches overseas to the top football countries in the world (we already sent two to Holland in August 07....Reynold Carrington and Jefferson George). We already have a working relationship with Holland (KNVB), and we are seeking ties with France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. We want our coaches to be heavily influenced by the training methods that favor fluid, possession-based, technical play. It is my belief that T&T and the Caribbean is too heavily influenced by old style English training methods that favor heavy, static drilling and then perhaps a game at the end.
"By next year the D license coaches will be ready for the C level and the B the following year. Within ten years (I will be gone by that time) hopefully we will have every person participating in football expose to experienced, certified adult coaches at all levels of participation.
"Flex, our dream of being the top CONCACAF football nation will only be realized by taking patient and progressive steps as outlined above. So, while everyone is focusing on the negatives of the "Player Impasse"; the U-17 losses in Korea, and un-fairly blaming everything on the Secondary schools league, I am working on developing a structure and supporting existing entities such as the PFL, the SSFL, TTOC because they are major stakeholders in the player and coaching development department. I will continue do my job quietly and hope others will realize the only true way our football will advance is when we make it a collaborative effort, ended Phillips."
Best Regards
LP.
Related News
TTOC four-day football coaching course.
T&T Newsday Reports.
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s Olympic Academy will be conducting a four-day TTFF ‘D’ License football coaching course. The course will be conducted on September 14-16 and again on September 22-24 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of- Spain. This course will be facilitated by the TTFF’S Technical Director Lincoln Phillips and will target Olympic Youth Campers and sport enthusiasts between the ages of 16-19 years.
Aim of the project is to offer coaching, administration, officiating and other related workshops so the participants can become more knowledgeable about the sport. TTOC president Larry Romany explained that his organisation obtained feedback from participants of last month’s TTOC Olympic Youth Camp. Campers, he revealed, “expressed the view that improving their knowledge of all aspects of the game will make them better athletes and also offer them opportunities to get involved in coaching and officiating at the community and age grade level.” According to Romany the TTOC received the approval of the TTFF for the hosting of the coaching course. The Olympic Academy will work with all TTOC affilatesin an effort to further the youth initiative.
