Ex-football pro stresses value of apt grassroots/youth program

Former Chelsea goalkeeper John Whittle shared his expertise on grassroots and youth football development to more than 40 coaches/players/parents through a one-day workshop held at the Azucena Room II of the Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan Saturday.

Whittle, who served as national development officer in South Island in New Zealand, emphasized to the participants the importance of giving everyone a chance to play football and creating a tailor-made program for them.

“Kids, whose skills are neither develop or undeveloped, come to the field just for the fun of playing. Winning or losing, allow them to play,” said Whittle, who now works for the Asian Football Confederation as acting director of the Grassroots and Youth Department.

Whittle in mentioning the importance of having an appropriate program for grassroots and youth players quoted Horst Wein, a well-known German university lecturer with coaching assignments in 51 countries.

“The coaching programs and competitions for children should be like their shoe size. They should fit perfectly and feel comfortable,” Whittle said.

The AFC officials in his succeeding presentation asked participants to discuss the characteristics of players from various age groups, from 6-and-under to 16-and-under, and asked how they should understand and cope up with these traits.

Whittle after the lunch break explained the role of coaches in the grassroots and youth programs.

“An effective coach has the ability to consistently craft fun, safe, and rewarding experience for children drawing upon strong organizational/management leadership, communication, and teaching skills,” he said.

Coaches’ roles were explained through several situations on and off the field, as mentors were asked how they should act on these circumstances.

Among those mentioned were players arguing or fighting during competition or practice sessions, players arguing with the referee, and players getting injured badly.

Whittle’s presentation is timely as the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be opening its fall youth league later this month.

Whittle is hoping that coaches who attended the workshop will share the knowledge they learned to fellow mentors and apply them during actual games and practice sessions.

He said if NMIFA builds a solid grassroots and youth program through its various competitions for the youth, he will not be surprised to see football growing in the Commonwealth five years from now.

“By that time, I hope NMIFA will be a FIFA member and have many football clubs in various age groups,” Whittle said.

He added that having a small population should not prevent the CNMI from seeking the development of the sports here.

“I think having a small population and small islands can work on CNMI’s advantage as far as developing football here is concerned. The sports community here is very close and players have easy access to playing fields. All you need is to get these players to play and make them enjoy the game,” Whittle said.