Football leaders set for T&T experience

[Tallman]

Football leaders set for Trinidad experience
thefa.com

The FA Leadership and Volunteering Programme; Changing Lives Trip, sees four Football Leaders heading to Trinidad.       
                 
In one week’s time, the young Football Leaders will get the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Trinidad as part of The FA’s Changing Lives Programme.

The Leaders were selected from 103 Leaders who attended the National Leadership Camp in July 2010 and will now get the chance to not only develop their coaching skills, but also their life skills such as communication, organisation, creativity, decision making, problem solving and team work.

They will be working with local schools and linking into their International Inspiration Programme, which is a UK Government led international legacy programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is the first time in its history that there has been an official commitment to an international legacy as part of the Games.

International Inspiration aims to:-

- To transform the lives of 12 million young children in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries such as; Brazil, India, Palau, Ghana, Jordan, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago through the power of sport.

- To create strong, sustainable and supportive systems within which children of all abilities, some from the most disadvantaged communities can enrich their lives by playing and excelling in sport.

A challenging ambition, but International Inspiration London 2012 Olympic Legacy programme is confident that it can engage young people in physical education and high quality sport, through various projects under II that touch different parts of community, schools (primary and secondary) and sport development work at professional and community level, including coaches and clubs.

Throughout the week, the Football Leaders will train and develop Trinidad & Tobago Leaders and deliver coaching sessions in primary schools.

The hope is that they will leave a legacy in Trinidad & Tobago to encourage and inspire the leaders we have trained to continue their work after we have gone.

The Football Leaders

Jay Amin, 16, St. Bedes

Favourite Team?
Arsenal.

Person in football who has influenced you the most?
Lionel Messi.

How did you get involved in Leadership and Volunteering?
I was selected to attend the ISFA Leadership Camp in March 2010 and things continued from there.

How did attending the National Camp in July 2010 help you?
It enabled me to learn many new coaching skills and ideas, plus the concept of going away with other coaches and being together as a team was a taster of what is to come.

What are you looking forward to the most about going to Trinidad?
Coaching and developing myself and others around me and enjoying what Trinidad has to offer culturally and the weather!

Laurisa Robson, 16, Derbyshire

Favourite Team?
Manchester United.

Person in football who has influenced you the most?
David Beckham.

How did you get involved in Leadership and Volunteering?
My school saw my ability in leadership and sport so I was glad to volunteer when asked to coach and referee football.

How did attending camp in July 2010 help you?
It’s improved my coaching so much and provided me with so many new amazing opportunities to help me continue to develop as a coach.

What are you looking forward to the most about going to Trinidad?
The challenges that I will face while I’m there and helping the underprivileged children in the orphanage we are visiting. I’m so excited about meeting all the new people too.
 
Stuart Brown, 19, Leicestershire

Favourite Team?
Leicester City

Person in football who has influenced you the most?
My Dad. He was manager of the first team I ever played for, and as I grew older, became chairman of Loughborough Dynamo Junior Football Club; the Chartered Standard club where my leadership and volunteering journey began. He has always been really enthusiastic about my coaching and volunteering in football.   

How did you get involved in Leadership and Volunteering?
At the age of 15, I took a Junior Football Organiser’s course and participated in a Step Into Sport programme through the School Club Link between Loughborough Dynamo JFC and Burleigh Community College. I really enjoyed helping out at the club I’d played at since I was an U7. I carried on coaching a number of mini-soccer teams and developed a passion for coaching football. I then sought to gain qualifications and had passed my level 1 and 2 Certificates in Coaching Football before turning 18.

How did attending camp in July 2010 help you?
This year on the camp, my role was to mentor the Management Team who were charged with running and organising the week long residential camp having shown great potential and ability on the previous year’s camp. Working with a group of both individually and collectively, talented people really helped me develop my mentoring skills. The challenge for me was guiding the Management Team through the journey I had been on myself as a member of the Management Team in 2009 and allowing and helping them to solve problems, work as a team and develop the camp in their own unique way. They did an outstanding job and made the 2010 camp the best one yet!

What are you looking forward to the most about going to Trinidad?
For me, it’s the chance to work with yet another group of outstanding Football Leaders, as well as some brilliant role models who already work for The Football Association that I can learn a great deal from. I know as a team we will deliver some brilliant footballing experiences to the people of Trinidad and if we can leave the kids with a smile on their face at the end of the week… then I think the trip will have been a success.

Victoria Summerfield, 16, Wiltshire

Favourite Team?
Chelsea

Person in football who has influenced you the most?
David Beckham - every time someone told him he couldn’t do something, he tried harder and came back better.

How did you get involved in Leadership and Volunteering?
I went to watch my little brother playing Brazilian football and there were only two leaders, so I volunteered to help so that way I could teach and learn at the same time. I have enjoyed my volunteering and have just started to volunteer with Streets Ahead; a disabled football group in Andover and love it.

How did attending camp in July 2010 help you?
It helped my confidence in terms of teaching me how to deal with older children or parents. As soon as I got back, I had both the parents and the teachers telling me how I had changed and how my lessons had improved.

What are you looking forward to the most about going to Trinidad?
I am looking forward to helping the leaders carry on training and giving the children football in their lives. I love football and want to show how through football you can enjoy yourself, be part of a team and stay healthy. Football lets everyone be the same on the pitch - we are all equal no matter what background you come from and the more you learn the better you get and the better you feel about yourself.


Jay Amin



Stuart Brown



Laurisa Robson



Victoria Summerfield

[elan]

England really paying attention to T&T. I wonder why all  of a sudden?

[dinho]

England really paying attention to T&T. I wonder why all  of a sudden?

let their balls be squeezed and let the reverberations be felt far and wide...

Squeeze dem jack ah say squeeze dem tight!!

[Football supporter]

England really paying attention to T&T. I wonder why all  of a sudden?

I know about this project. North East Stars are sending a coach to work on this project. This is a global programme originally set up by the 2012 Olympics and U.K. government to work with English kids.  But they then extended it via the British Councils stationed within Embassys and High Commissions around the world. Some of the British Councils really got behind the project and they are the ones to be rewarded most. It is not football specific, but they have enlisted Brent Sancho as one of the T&T role models. In Trinidad, Allyson Pantain is passionate about the project. Yes, of course England are interested in T&T until December 2nd, but without Allysons' enthusiasm, T&T would not have benefitted. I understand that Olympic medalist Colin Jackson is coming over. He's a cool guy and is going to shadow one of the young leaders, seeing their home, school etc.

[vb]

http://www.thefa.com/GetIntoFootball/NewsAndFeatures/2010/young-leaders-141010

[Tallman]

Trip of a lifetime for Young Leaders
thefa.com

Four Young Leaders provided coaching advice in Trinidad & Tobago.

Four teenagers had the trip of a lifetime after travelling to Trinidad & Tobago as part of The FA’s International Leadership and Volunteering Changing Lives programme.

Laurisa Robson, Jay Amin and Victoria Summerfield were picked from The FA’s National Leadership & Volunteering Camp in July 2010, while Stuart Brown was selected for his commitment to the programme having been involved as a mentor since 2008.

The Caribbean trip saw the four coaches working with a variety of local youngsters with coaching sessions at the St. Michael’s Boys Home and Toco Secondary School in Trinidad and Shaw Park Grounds in Tobago.

The English youngsters also mentored young leaders from Trinidad & Tobago and Victoria, from Andover in Hampshire commented: “My goal at the start of this trip was to not rely on others and be confident in myself when coaching. I knew by the end of this trip that I had accomplished this and that I could leave my Trinidad leaders by themselves to coach and they would give a great session.

“I loved this trip, it really showed me what skills I’m good at and which I need to work on,” said the 17-year-old.

For Stuart, it was a dream come true to be coaching on the other side of the world and he added: “It’s safe to say that I was completely surprised when I found out I had been selected for The FA Changing Lives trip to Trinidad.

“The trip gave me the opportunity not only to develop my leadership, coaching and interpersonal skills, but also to help mentor a group of amazing, young and enthusiastic coaches from both islands,” said the 20-year-old Loughborough student.

“My highlight of the week was taking a back seat on the last few sessions and watching the young coaches I had been working with organise and manage the sessions I had shown them previously. More importantly, they had the confidence to step in and coach the young children playing football in their sessions.”

Trinidad proved to be an eye opening experience for 16-year-old Jay: “I thought it would be like the stereotypical magazine cover with white beaches and blues seas but was surprised to find out it was a lot more industrial and urbanised.

“St Michael’s Boys Home was a memorable moment for me, as the lads were very nice, well behaved and a pleasure to coach and play football with. It was a shame that we didn’t get to return to St Michael’s as I felt the boys appreciated the football experience and would have benefited from more coaching and playing football,” said Jay, who attends school in St. Bedes in Sussex and coaches kids at a local primary school on a regular basis.

Making up the quartet of young coaches in Trinidad was 17-year-old Laurisa, who said: “The trip was so fun and I enjoyed every minute of it, but it was also a real learning curve for me too.

“The week has given me so much in terms of new skills and abilities learnt and practiced. I feel although I was quite confident in my sessions, it has made me more confident in working with people my own age and older as well,” said Laurisa, who hails from Chesterfield.

“It has also widened my knowledge more than I thought it ever would, providing me so many new drills and games to use in my coaching back in the UK.

“It has allowed me to develop as a person and a leader so much and I strongly advise anyone who has a chance to go on the camp to do so, as it really is an opportunity that will change your life forever.”

If you’ve been inspired by this year’s four Young Leaders and want to get involved with the programme then contact your local County FA for more information.


The Young Leaders and FA staff and coaches


Young coach Jay Amin with players from St. Michael's Boys Home

[Tallman]

The International Leadership & Volunteering Programme
nottinghamshirefa.com

October half-term proved to be the opportunity of a lifetime for four lucky young coaches who traveled with The FA to Trinidad & Tobago as part of the International Project 'Changing Lives'.  This is an account of their week.

06:00 hours on Sunday 24th October saw four young coaches descend upon the soils of Trinidad in the Caribbean ready for a week of Leadership through football sessions.

Laurisa Robson, Jay Amin and Victoria Summerfield were picked from The FA’s National Leadership & Volunteering Camp in July 2011 out of 103 Football Leaders to represent The FA in Trinidad and Tobago on The FA International Leadership and Volunteering Changing Lives programme. Changing Lives provides FA Leaders with the opportunity to work with and develop leaders from Trinidad and Tobago and deliver coaching sessions and festivals to primary school children between the ages of 6-11. FA Leader Stuart Brown a second year Loughborough university student was selected as a reward for his dedication and commitment to the national programme as leader, mentor and role model after joining the programme in 2008.

Upon arrival at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad, the leaders and staff spent their first morning adjusting to the immense heat and time difference. To help familiarise the leaders with working with young people in Trinidad and in the heat conditions, the group were taken to St. Michael’s boys’ home where they would spend the remainder of the afternoon.

On entry to the home we soon realised it was a young offender’s institution for boys aged between 10 and 18 rather than an orphanage for boys between the ages of 6 and 10 that we thought had been arranged! The butterflies were well and truly stationed within the stomachs of our leaders who had to think on the spot about how they could adapt their sessions and approach for the afternoon.

We were taken to the canteen where the boys were waiting for us and Donna McIvor (National Development Manager for Education) introduced herself and her team to the boys and gave everyone the chance to ask each other questions. As you can imagine, The FA leaders asked about football in Trinidad and the boys asked about the Premier League and the Senior Men’s England team with one boy even wearing an England shirt for us!

After a quick introduction with everyone, the majority of butterflies flew away so we headed to the playing field where we split the boys into 4 groups and started off with a few warm up games before we headed into small sided games under the guidance of FA National Development Manager for Youth and Mini Soccer, Nick Levett and PE teachers John Heathcote and Sharon Muxworthy.

Once the balls got rolling and the hearts pumped faster, the smiles began to show and once again we were able to demonstrate the power of football in what can sometimes appear as the most uncomfortable of situations.

Monday morning arrived and while Donna McIvor was conducting a TV appearance on Trinidad’s Wake and Shine breakfast programme our first stop was Par-May-Lays Inn where we picked up 12 of the 20 of our Trinidad and Tobago (TT) leaders - it was a bit of a relief to see the nervousness on their faces as well as ours!

We then headed off to the British Councils office where we would spend the day getting to know the full 20 TT leaders. The leaders were split into groups supported by The FA leaders and were briefed on the week ahead. Leadership through football theory and practical sessions then took place at the King George V Park facilities. The British Council High Commissioner joined the group in the afternoon to show his appreciation of the programme and wish everyone good luck for the week.

With day 1 completed and The FA leaders and the TT leaders a lot more acquainted as well as Amreeta Bola (Administration and Media) and Nick Levett unfortunately acquainted with a horrific downpour of Caribbean rain we all made our way back to the hotel ready for a full day of coaching on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning arrived and we headed back to King George V Park where we set up, this time with a tent (which in hindsight would have been very useful on Monday!) and waited for the first set of school children to coach.

In true Caribbean style, 1 hour and 10 minutes passed before the children finally arrived, but with this eventuality planned for the leaders were still able to carry on with their warm ups and games as practiced the day before.

During set up for the afternoon session, we were joined by the President of The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, Oliver Camps. It was a great pleasure to have Oliver’s presence at the Park and an honour for him to see what The FA were doing first hand in Trinidad and Tobago.

An early wakeup call was in order for Wednesday morning as the leaders had to embark on a 2 hour journey through the intricate forest roads to Toco, in the north east of the island where we spent the day at Toco Secondary School with local primary schools being bussed in to attend the sessions.

Wednesday presented many challenges for the leaders, from Jay who had to adapt a session for someone with an injury, to Stuart who had to take on a more motivational role and reassure and guide his group of TT leaders who have never coached before. Before we knew it again, the day had ended and The FA Leaders were ecstatic with the way their days had gone and had nothing but praise for their groups. Victoria had taken some advice given to her by her mentor and as a result delivered a fantastic session, this of course was after she reined her group of children in from running into the wilderness during one of her warm up games (!) and Laurisa was able to use her strengths within coaching to help the weaknesses of her team of TT leaders.

Thursday, our final day of coaching arrived which called for an even earlier alarm clock as we were flying to Tobago. Full of energy even though it was incredibly early the party boarded the plane eager with what the day had ahead.

We arrived at Tobago Airport and were driven to Shaw Park Grounds where most people took that as an opportunity to have a quick snooze before the day ahead which felt like it was going to be a scorcher as it hadn’t reached 8am and already everyone looked like they had been sat in a sauna for the past two hours!

We reached the grounds where news quickly began to spread that we didn’t have any children to work with and the schools wouldn’t be coming! As a result our coaches John Heathcote and Nick Levett stepped in and offered to spend the morning coaching all 24 leaders in the grounds of Shaw Park.

Once that was decided our Changing Lives Project Officer arrived with the news that the local primary schools Head Teacher very kindly offered to give us a class of 40 boys and girls to coach for the morning. The leaders quickly re-set their pitches and got to work without any complaints. The sun was beaming down and even the leaders from Trinidad said they very rarely experienced heat like this, so I’m sure you can imagine - it was hot! Regardless of this, the leaders and children gave 100% and had a brilliant morning finishing with a presentation congratulating the TT leaders for their efforts and achievements throughout the week.

The day finished off at the beach in Pigeon Point with lunch, volleyball in the water, football on the sand, new ideas and knowledge amongst all leaders and staff with everyone’s smiles indicating they had a fantastic experience and made friends for life.