CNMI well represented in AFC activities

The CNMI through the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association continued its active involvement in Asian Football Confederation-led events as shown in its participation in activities in the AFC U-14 Boys’ Festival of Football for East Asia in Beijing, China.

After former MP United boys U18 player Yishan Wang joined the referee preparatory course last Friday, NMIFA sent three more representatives for the festival’s activities. Shirley’s FC’s Russel Zapanta and Tan Holding’s FC’s Joe Miller are attending a “C” Football Coaching Certificate Course at the China National Football Training Centre near Xhianghe-Hebei Province, joining 21 other participants from the 10 East Asian member associations of the AFC.

Zapanta and Miller are with the representatives of Macau, China, Mongolia, Guam, North and South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Chinese-Taipei.

AFC Festival Project Manager Dr. Shamil Kamil opened the course that will run until April 29, and “has urged the participants to grab the opportunity to learn as much as possible and to be committed throughout the course,” according to the AFC website.

“The course is very important for all the participants, who can share experience and exchange ideas with each other. Our young coaches can work closely with the senior instructors and the AFC will fully support you from all sides. How successful this course will be depends on how hard you work,” Kami was quoted as saying in the AFC website.

Also present at the start of the course was AFC Elite Coaching Instructor Kwok Ka Ming of Hong Kong.

“We will teach you how to be a coach, and we hope more and more excellent young football coaches are generated,” Kwok said.

Besides the coaching course, the festival is also holding a seminar for physiotherapists with Gary Ramsey representing the CNMI and joining 17 other physiotherapists and physicians.

Physiotherapy instructor Meechai Inwood of Thailand is leading the course that aims to produce more professional physiotherapists for participating nations.

The course, according to the AFC website, contains the basic knowledge of the general physical therapist course, such as maintenance of football players’ health and dealing with injury in football matches, and some important issues, such as on-field emergency management and medicine management.

Attending various AFC activities is crucial in the CNMI’s bid to develop the sport on the island and seek full membership to the most populous among FIFA’s six confederations.