HALLGRIMSSON...I think though a problem with most here in Jamaica is that they are waiting for something to happen.
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While admitting that there is a deficit in Jamaica’s football where coaching education is concerned, senior Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says the onus is on coaches across the island to make the necessary step towards personal development until better opportunities arise.
Hallgrimsson shared this view after engaging coaches during a recently-concluded two-month tour of the island where he, along with assistants John Wall and Merron Gordon, hosted clinics and assessed facilities, as well as some aspiring national players.
Though the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Concacaf occasionally hosts licence coaching courses, and there was also the Joan Duncan Foundation-sponsored coaching school, the general consensus, according to Hallgrimsson is that those are inadequate.
“It was quite similar in every parish. Everyone talked about coaching education, lack of coaching education and the lack of opportunities to learn. So, I think that was one of the concerns. The second thing was, was the pitches and that has been kind of my cry, from day one that we really need to improve our facilities, our pitches,” Hallgrimsson shared in a recent interview with Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) media.
“That is in every parish. The coaches and the administrators of clubs were complaining about both lack of access to pitches and also the quality of the services and because of that, some or most parish coaches said it was sometimes difficult to get kids into training,” he added.
Well aware that coaches play a significant role in player development, particularly at the grassroots and youth levels, Hallgrimsson agreed that proper coaching education and good facilities should be given more consideration for investments, but in the same breath, the Icelander argued that coaches need to take more initiative in certain regards.
“I think though a problem with most here in Jamaica is that they are waiting for something to happen. The complaints are that an investor needs to come and change this, or the JFF needs to do it, or the government needs to do this so we can do that. But I think it all starts and finishes with us as coaches,” he declared.
“We just need to start to roll, to get things rolling to make football attractive, to make kids want to come to your football sessions. It's not even about the facilities, even though they are important in developing good football players, but it's about the coach. So, I think it all starts with us coaches to do whatever we can do to get the best training we can from what we have,” Hallgrimsson opined.
That said, Hallgrimsson pointed out that with the right enthusiasm, coaches can utilize the advancement in technology to improve their knowledge of the profession, not just technical and tactical, but more around fitness, nutrition, recovery and the psychological aspect of things.
“Even now, the high-level teams are looking into how players sleep, their breathing, into meditation, all of these things. So, I would say at the moment, Jamaica is behind in coaching education, and we need to step up there. The good thing about today is the technology. The technology there is so fantastic that you can actually tap into all knowledge in a flash,” Hallgrimsson reasoned.
He continued: “So if you are an enthusiastic coach, you can actually with Google, go into the correct websites and apps and you can get all the knowledge you need so you can fast forward your coaching education. So even though it will be a license system, and you need a licence as a coach, you can still be a really, really good coach without a licence.
“So, you know two things goes go hand in hand. I think if you have a licence, you've already gone through some learning process, but you could also be a good coach without the licence. So, I encourage everyone just to be creative and look for information if you are, if you are a coach.”
Still, Hallgrimsson stressed the need for holistic development in the country’s football, both from a coaching and a facilities perspective.
“For players’ development, the two most important ingredients are coaching education and the facilities to coach football, and both are pretty much behind here in Jamaica. Only with changing these two factors will the development of players be totally different as it will be faster to produce better players,” said Hallgrimsson.
“There are a lot of other factors to produce good players, but if these two are lacking, then there will always be a hurdle that will be difficult to jump over. Therefore, the sooner we change those things, the quicker we develop,” he ended.
The tour was a part of Hallgrimsson’s objective to focus on local players in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) and gauge their progress for possible inclusion in his team for the CONMEBOL Copa America and Concacaf World Cup qualifiers later this year. The Boyz are scheduled to face United States in the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals on March 21.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Chelsea Women 0-2 Barcelona Femeni (1-2 agg): Holders reach Champions League final again
Women's Champions League holders Barcelona overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach a fourth straight final on Saturday, beating 10-player Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Emma Hayes' hopes of ending her glittering spell with the Blues by lifting the Champions League trophy were dashed in heartbreaking fashion in front of a sell-out crowd in West London.
Barca went ahead through Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati 26 minutes in, the diminutive Spaniard seeing her shot deflect off Kadeisha Buchanan to beat Hannah Hampton.
The hosts pushed for a response as Sjoeke Nuksen struck the post, but their position worsened just before the hour mark as Buchanan was perhaps harshly shown a second yellow card for her tackle on Salma Paralluelo.
Barca penned their hosts back from there and Bonmati was decisive again as they inched ahead with 15 minutes to play, drawing a foul from Ashley Lawrence and allowing Fridolina Rolfo to convert from the penalty spot.
Jonatan Giraldez's team have won two of the last three editions of the Champions League, also losing in the final to Lyon in 2021-22. They could be reunited with Les Lyonnaises in next month's final in Bilbao, as they hold a 3-2 lead over Paris Saint-Germain at the halfway stage of the other semi-final.
Data Debrief: Bonmati caps trademark Barca performance
Aided by Buchanan's red card, Barcelona showcased their mastery of possession-based football at Stamford Bridge, enjoying 67.8 per cent of the possession and completing over twice as many passes as Chelsea (583 to 224).
Bonmati was at the centre of everything for the Blaugrana, playing a key role in both goals as well as laying on two chances for team-mates and playing 31 passes in the final third – no Chelsea player recorded more than 11.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Stuttgart: Last-gasp equaliser preserves champions' unbeaten run
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen scored a last-gasp equaliser through Robert Andrich to come from two goals down and rescue a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart on Saturday.
The late drama ensured the hosts extended their record unbeaten run to 46 matches across all competitions.
Leverkusen – who play Roma in the Europa League semi-finals, are also through to the DFB-Pokal final and have already secured their first-ever league title – have now scored 16 goals in stoppage time in all competitions this season.
After a low-key first half, Leverkusen were quickly 2-0 behind after the break with Chris Fuhrich drilling in on the rebound after keeper Lukas Hradecky had palmed a shot on to the post in the 47th minute.
Deniz Undav doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes later before Leverkusen launched their comeback attempt with Amine Adli beating keeper Alexander Nubel with a low drive in the 61st.
Nubel made three sensational saves to protect Stuttgart's slim lead, but Andrich came to the rescue deep in stoppage time to extend their impressive undefeated run.
Stuttgart are third in the table on 64 points, five behind second-placed Bayern Munich. Leverkusen are top on 81 with three matches remaining.
Everton 1-0 Brentford: Toffees join Bees in ensuring Premier League status
Everton made mathematically certain of remaining in the Premier League on Saturday as Idrissa Gueye's goal handed them a 1-0 home win over Brentford, who are also safe after Luton Town's earlier loss to Wolves.
Luton's 2-1 defeat at Molineux meant Brentford's slim fears of relegation were behind them before kick-off, while Everton knew a third straight victory would also secure their place in the top flight for next season.
The Toffees' old wastefulness was on show in the first half, but Gueye powered home 15 minutes into the second period to hand them a third Goodison Park triumph in the space of six days.
The result saw Sean Dyche's men climb above their visitors to go 15th in the table, one place and point clear of Brentford, who can also plan ahead for 2024-25 in the top flight after pulling clear of danger.
Everton were without Dominic Calvert-Lewin through illness and Beto due to the head injury he suffered against Nottingham Forest. Their absences were felt when the first chance fell their way after six minutes, Youssef Chermiti failing to get a touch on McNeil's tempting cross.
Mathias Jensen had Brentford's first sight of goal 20 minutes in following good work from Vitaly Janelt, but in-form defender Jarrad Branthwaite denied him with a huge block.
The best opportunity of a low-key opening period, though, fell to Abdoulaye Doucoure, who sent an awkward volley spinning well wide after finding space on the stroke of half-time.
Brentford should have gone ahead within five minutes of the restart, but Jordan Pickford brilliantly smothered Ivan Toney's shot when his England team-mate looked destined to tap home at the far post.
McNeil then rattled the crossbar from range as Everton turned up the pressure, and they made the breakthrough on the hour.
Gueye fired into the top-left corner after Brentford failed to clear following a goalmouth scramble, with the goal confirmed by VAR amid questions about a subjective offside.
Keane Lewis-Potter worked Pickford from the edge of the box, but that was as close as Thomas Frank's men came to an equaliser, and Everton almost had a second when James Garner's free-kick struck the bar in stoppage time.
Everton rescue act complete
When Everton welcomed Burnley to Goodison Park on April 6th, they remained in severe danger of seeing a chastening campaign end in relegation.
However, a run of four wins in five games – the most memorable being Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over Merseyside rivals Liverpool – has dragged the Toffees clear and ensured there will be no repeat of last year, when they remained at the highest level by the skin of the teeth on a nervy final day.
Having earned their first win of the campaign against Brentford back in September, Everton have also done the double over the Bees for just the second time, previously beating them home and away in the second tier back in 1952-53.
Toney struggles continue
While Brentford had enjoyed a resurgence of their own prior to Saturday's game, beating Sheffield United 2-0 and Luton 5-1 in their last two matches, both of those victories came without injured striker Toney.
He returned to the Bees' lineup here but was uncharacteristically quiet, failing to beat Pickford when presented with the visitors' best chance shortly after half-time.
Toney has now failed to score in his last eight Premier League matches, his longest ever run without a goal in the competition. With Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke in fine form as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his England squad for Euro 2024, his barren spell has come at a poor time.
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