Participants complete SKNFA coaching certification

Basseterre, St. Kitts (14th September 2015) – The St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association successfully completed a one-week licensing program for new coaches in the federation.

The D-Class licensing coaching program was conducted at the headquarters of the SKNFA with practical sessions done on selected grounds. According to Technical Director Lenny Lake, the D-Licensing coaching program began eight years ago, and there are now over 200 coaches in the federation with the D-License certification.

He informed that football players interested in becoming coaches form the bulk of participants, as he spoke about the necessity of the certification program. “It’s really about educating coaches on the new methods that are available to develop players,” said Lake, adding, “We are asking clubs and individuals interested in coaching football to learn about the methods and best practices they must understand to be an effective coach in developing a player to the best of his or her abilities.”
Lake said the certification of coaches ensures that coaching education across the federation is consistent in the development of the players. He stated, “This program has been around for a while, and it is one of the requirements for our coaches to participate in our national league. One cannot just start coaching a club team. One has to be qualified. It is about maintaining a certain standard of quality.”

While the number of participants is not as high as they were in the early years, there was an upward trend this year. “We had a very good turn-out this year. Normally we would have about 15 participants, but we had 25 persons this time around, including those from Nevis,” Lake noted.

The one-week coaching program included classroom instruction and on-the-field sessions. Participants were required to pass a series of tests before achieving certification.
Assessment areas included components of organization, communications, the laws of the game, techniques and processes and the conduct of field sessions. So each participant was examined for his/her level of competence before becoming a licensed SKNFA coach.

Lake revealed that a new level of licensing, the C-License, will be launched in a few months, as a new initiative of SKNFA. He said, “In our strategic plan, we are trying to have every level of coaching education. We started at the E, then the D, and we are now going to the C. In a few years, we will go to B and A, the highest level of coaching qualification a country can attain.”

With over 200 D-Licensed coaches on St. Kitts and Nevis, Lake believes the time is now right to go to the next level. “We believe our coaches are ready to take that next step,” Lake said.

For further information, contact:
Stanley Jacobs
General Secretary
St. Kitts – Nevis Football Association
Tel: 869-466-2998
E-Mail: info@sknfa.com