Photo courtesy: AIFF Media

The ability to evolve and adjust oneself to the volatility of the 90 minute stage throughout the course of the season remains, not only imperative, but vital for any Coach. Therefore to impetus the growth of both Foreign and Indian Coaches while syncing them with the modern trends of the Coaching World, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) successfully conducted the first module of AFC Pro Diploma Course in Margao, Goa from July 8, 2015 to July 18, 2015.

The ten-day long course, which will be succeeded by the second module in South Korea from September 5, 2015 to September 25, 2015 as part of an exposure trip, acted as a platform to share various Coaching ideas and other minute technicalities of the game.

The Course, which also acted as a platform to harness the skill-set of the Coaches, while injecting in them a spark of efficiency, was conducted by Jordan’s Dr. Mohammad Thibyat. Talking exclusively to AIFF Media, the Jordanian who has conducted 17 AFC Courses opined that “Courses such as these help evolve a Coach.”

“It is imperative for any Coach to sync with the modern trends of Coaching and this Course offers a detailed roadmap of it.”

“The participants have had informative sessions. And now they must apply what they have learned in the arena. Theoretical knowledge is best when applied and not accumulated,” added Thibyat.

Nine participants from across the World had to undergo a series of exercise and tests, engineered specifically to add another dimension to their Coaching minds.

“The AIFF has done a commendable job in organizing this course, as it makes us better Coaches and there can be no doubt that better Coaches make better Players,” expressed Bengaluru FC Coach gaffer Ashley Westwood, who was a participant.

“Education for any Coach is important. And this was an apt platform to garner knowledge,” he added.

Guglielma Arena strums on the same notes as Westwood and quipped: “It is important for any Coach to update himself and this Course has certainly helped us to progress. As the module goes on we will evolve into much better Coaches.”

“This is a good initiative by AIFF. It is always nice to interact with different people from different countries and get to learn from them, while sharing experiences,” echoed Syed Shabbir Pasha. “It helps us gain experience by rubbing shoulders against each other and that is what Football is all about.”

The list of the participants is as follows:
Bino George, Syed Sabir Pasha, Naushad Moosa, Satyabrata Bhowmick, Robin Charles Raja (all from India), Ashley Westwood (United Kingdom), Ian Gillan (Australia), Kenichi Yatsuhashi (Japan), Guglielmo Arena (Switzerland).

(Report & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)