Previous Story
16 join AFC C certificate coaching course
NMIFA technical director Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, right, demonstrates a ball control technique during a practical session of the Asian Football Confederation C certification coaching course held early this month at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
Northern Mariana Islands Football Association held its first-ever Asian Football Confederation C certification coaching course this month with 16 individuals attending the two-weeklong event.
CNMI Men’s National Team coach and NMIFA technical director Kiyoshi Sekiguchi conducted the course that was held from Dec. 2 to 18 at the Northern Marianas College and Koblerville Elementary School. NMC hosted the theoretical parts of the course that were held on weekdays, while the practical session and a couple more theoretical classes took place a KES.
“I would like to express my appreciation to all the participants. They are very open minded and aggressive during our sessions. We had very good discussions on the pitch and in the classroom. They are getting better day by day and I was impressed with their attitude while taking the course. However, some of them need more coaching opportunities,” said Sekiguchi, who holds a pro license in coaching and an AFC-recognized coaching instructor.
Sekiguchi added that having experienced and educated coaches will ensure that players will be taught with proper skills and techniques and will ensure their continued development.
Sekiguchi spent the first few days of the coaching course making introduction about the coaching profession and explaining and demonstrating the sport’s fundamentals. The CNMI coach also discussed nutrition, hygiene, youth development, fitness test, game tactics, and communication.
The latter part of the course then focused on defending and attacking plays, while Sekiguchi made practical assessment of the 16 participants during the final day of the event. The 16 individuals also took theoretical and practical exams and results will be out in a month.
“Four our sake and for the sake of CNMI football, we have to pass. We thanked coach Seki for being there and helping us out,” said Kanoa Football Club’s Mikky Vargas.
Joining Vargas on the class were Jeralyn Castillo, Ryu Tanzawa, Liz Phan, Longwen Ji, Rodwealth Espana, Jov Chavez, Marielle Gariguez, Jonathan Takano, Panapa Peteru, Takumi Fukui, Yuji Ochiai, Keisuke Kitamura, Shingo Suzuki, Fumikazu Sukenari, and Tadaomi Yasuda.
