Record number of GFF coaches pursuing Concacaf B coaching licenses

Three members of GFF’s technical staff have received their Concacaf B coaching license, the highest qualification currently offered by the regional body.

A record 14 GFF-affiliated coaches are also currently on their way to achieving the C license.

Three senior members of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Technical Department have passed the recently-launched Concacaf B coaching license course.

The qualification, only open to coaches with a current Concacaf C license qualification, empowers coaches to deliver Concacaf C license courses at the local level, which had previously required the involvement of non-domestic Concacaf coach educators.

GFF’s technical director Ian Greenwood is among recipients. He also holds a UEFA A license.

Assistant Technical Director Bryan Joseph and GFF Coaching Mentor Linsworth Gilbert achieved the qualification aimed at Concacaf member association technical directors and senior coach educators via the inaugural 2021 course.

The new course is part of Concacaf’s “Train the Trainer” programme, which currently offers qualification at D, C and B license level that are recognised across the Concacaf region.

“It’s very important for us to continue to aspire to greater heights and to achieve higher levels of coach licenses,”

said Coach Gilbert, who is also the President of the Guyana Football Coaches Association.

“As a nation, being able to be involved in higher licensing programmes gives our national programme a boost, and it also gives us the confidence that we have the level of education to be able to compete not only in Concacaf, but more generally at an international level.”

In order to maintain the validity of a qualification, coaches must undergo regular refresher courses and assessment.

The failure to refresh qualifications in the past led to a situation where no GFF-affiliated coaches had valid certification when the current administration took over in November 2015.