– Heames impressed with quality of players
WAYNE Forde, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), yesterday announced that the ‘Walter Moore Scouting Clinic’ will become a permanent fixture on the Federation’s calendar.
Moore, a former Golden Jaguars defender and his club FF Jaro coach Kristian Heames, conducted a two-day (May 19 – 21) talent identification programme, which will result in potential players being identified for trials and possible professional contracts in Europe.
This initiative is part of the new philosophy of the technical programme of the GFF, which actively seeks to involve past and present national players as part of the technical development programme.
“The Walter Moore scouting clinic will now become a permanent fixture on the GFF’s calendar and the GFF will fund it exclusively” Forde told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.
“Of course we will always use our network to see if we could bring in some sponsors, so what we will do over the next couple of months, the technical department and Walter will build the best model to see how this would work,” Forde noted.
The GFF top brass explained that “players in the past didn’t see any long term in the sport that they had given so much to and I think that if there’s anything that you want to do as a leader it should be to inspire hope and that’s one of the things we’ve been doing, not only as an executive committee but as a technical staff.”
Forde also reasoned “if you’re a player and you see a structure curriculum where you have players knowledgeable and experience like ‘Jackie Chan’ (Gregory Richardson); Walter Moore returning with his coach from Finland, you’re seeing tangible evidence of development; that’s what we’re giving to this nation and so if that’s the added incentive that they needed all along for them (the players) to put that extra 100%, it’s very encouraging for Guyana’ football.”
Heames impressed
Before taking up a post as coach with FF Jaro last year, Heames from July 2008 to July 2016, served as Scout with English Premiere League club,West Bromwich Albion F.C.,also known as West Brom.
It was Heames’ maiden journey to the South American country, and the Englishman said that he was impressed with the level and quality displayed by the players who are all apart of Guyana’s National U-17 programme.
“The overall level is really good, working with the players, getting to see them both on and off the field was pretty good” Heames said, while singling out Chris Macy, Job Caesar, Cecil Jackman and Orville Daniels as those who stood out.
Heames reasoned that “players from different environment have different strengths and athletically players here are better than many players in Europe but I would say that it’s their understanding of the game that needs to be worked on.”
“After speaking to the technical department, I’ve gotten a better understanding as to how Guyana’s football was structured previously,so that might be the case why players developed a lot of individual skills, may be they don’t have the access to the coaching and I like the fact that some of the things that are done here (at the GFF) is to bridge that gap” Heames opined.
Heames’ sentiments were echoed by the GFF’s Technical Director,Ian Greenwood, who said “we’ve got fantastic athletic ability, but that game understanding is a massive problem from what I first arrived but we’re looking to improve that now. We’ve got a playing philosophy where the work is structured through the academy training centres, so the amount of tactical work now with the national programme is vastly improving from what we would’ve had before.”
