24 pass D license coaching course

Twenty-four made the grade in Northern Mariana Islands Football Association’s D license course that concluded last Sunday at Koblerville Elementary School.

NMIFA technical director Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, standing left, gives pointers to participants of the D license course early this month at the TSL Sports Complex, while assistant coach Jershwin Angeles looks on. (Contributed Photo)

Tan Holdings FC’s Albert Bergancia, Ladyvir Canape, Rosemarie Lazaro, Michael Moran, Sean Perez, and Ryan Relucio and MP United’s Kyle Jun Young Chung, Enrico Del Rosario, Kennedy Izuka, Jehn Joyner, Greg Kim, Jason Kim, Scott Kim, Daniel Lim, John Diego Masga, Chris Park, and John Taisacan received their NMIFA D license certificate after attending the two-weekend course. Completing the list of new D license coaches are Shirley’s Football Club’s Angie Ito, Paire Football Club’s Evan Hunsberger, Matansa FC’s Amzad Hossain Khan and Panapa Peteru, and Kanoa FC’s Michael Fidelino, Lalaine Pagarao, and Raphael Zapanta.

The first weekend of the course was held last Jan. 17 and 18 at the TSL Sports Complex with the first hours of the morning session focusing on ball feeling and passing. The succeeding morning session and a few hours in the afternoon held at KES featured theoretical aspects of the course with participants learning about planning, techniques and tactics, principles of coaching, and medical and nutrition. The weekend session then ended with another set of drills at the Koblerville pitch with participants learning ball control, goal keeping and shooting, and conducting small sided games.

For the second and last weekend (Jan. 24 and 25), NMIFA technical director and CNMI coach Kiyoshi Sekiguchi, who led the course, taught participants more techniques in goal keeping and how to hold small sided games in the morning session last Saturday. In the second part of the morning session, Sekiguchi discussed with the participants the future of CNMI football, while the entire afternoon session and the Jan. 25 event were devoted to written and practical tests.

“The entire course is life changing, especially for new coaches. We are now more equipped with the right skills and these will really help our players and our club,” Moran said. “We learned a lot about communicating with players, motivating them, and showing them how things are done properly at the field.”

“Some of us are just volunteer coaches and when we started, all we have is the willingness to help our kids/players get involved in soccer. Now, with courses like this, we will be able to help develop more young players,” Moran added.

For his part, Sekiguchi said he was happy with the way the participants responded to his teachings.

“I am very happy that 24 participants have joined the D license course for four days. The license is just paper, but I believe this license will help their club when they coach kids,” said Sekiguchi, who was assisted by Saipan Soccer School’s Jershwin Angeles.

“I hope they will coach kids the right way. If one of the coaches can improve 20 kids, we can improve 480 kids,” the NMIFA technical director added.

Sekiguchi also said that from the 24 graduates, he will select several coaches to help him in NMIFA’s National Elite Academy.