Vasciannie: Football helps to bring communities together
PRESIDENT OF the University of Technology (UTech) Professor Stephen Vasciannie has called on recent graduates of the Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB)/Jamaica Football Federation (JFF)/UTech coaching school to use their newly acquired skills to help bring communities together.
Vasciannie made the call during the graduation ceremony at the JFF offices in New Kingston on Monday afternoon.
“Football brings communities together and it encourages occupation. We get people playing football and they use up some of their energies in a positive way,” he said.
“Football also gives us discipline. As coaches, you will learn about time management, teamwork, communication, exercise, and you link success to effort, link causes to consequences. You get that from football,” Professor Vasciannie added.
“And, football helps us to cultivate spirit. I remember the time when the Reggae Boyz were flying high in World Cup football. There were some people we used to call wagonists. We still have wagonists now, but the original wagonists were wagonists because they were inspired by football,” he emphasised. “Just the concept of wagonists tells you what football can do to lift spirits”.
“The feedback is that all participants have benefited significantly from the course. UTech remains committed to the partnership with JMMS and the JFF,” the UTech president concluded.
Interim JFF president Bruce Gaynor said the coaching school is a vision of late president Captain Horace Burrell.
“Our late president had a vision that all our coaches will be qualified to coach at every level. In 2008, he brought this to the board and instructed then technical committee chairman Horace McIntosh to commence the process of starting a coaching school. The programme started in 2009,” Gaynor, who will demit the president’s seat on September 16, said.
RAISE THE BAR
“The JFF is indebted to the University of Technology and the JMMB/Joan Duncan Foundation. UTech has helped to raise the bar. JMMB has not only been a financial partner, but also shares the vision. FIFA also continues to support our Advanced Level Two programme with excellent instructors. The coaching school has trained and certified 780 coaches,” Gaynor disclosed.
Patricia Sutherland, chairman, JMMB/Joan Duncan Foundation, said her foundation is committed to the coaching school.
“We do it with pride. We are very proud of this partnership to invest in people. This is what our business is about – to invest in people,” Sutherland shared.
Eighty coaches received certificates from courses done at the Advanced Level One and Advanced Level Two last year. Delano Walters, Ian Williams, and Michael Israel were the top achievers.