– Named as Tooting & Mitcham United FC Assistant Coach

FORMER ‘Golden Jaguars’ skipper, Christopher Nurse, is now starting a new chapter in his illustrious football career and one he hopes that will lead him back to Guyana.

The 33-year-old Nurse was last week named as an assistant coach at Tooting & Mitcham United Football Club in England’s semi-professional football ranks and speaking exclusively with Chronicle Sport recently, the defensive midfield player who featured 47 times for Guyana, called the move “very important for my development as a coach.”

To his credit, Nurse holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Therapy from the University of Birmingham, a United States Soccer Federation National B Coaches License, BTEC National Diploma in Applied Sports Science – Kingston College, FIFA Diploma in Football Medicine, YMCA qualifications in Exercise Fitness Knowledge and Circuit Training, FA Level 1 in Talent Identification as well as Long Term Player Development FA Level 1 Psychology Award.

“Football is a short career and especially at this stage of my career, opportunities to get involved in professional and semi-professional football are very hard to come by, so I am extremely grateful for this opportunity” said Nurse.

According to Nurse, his long term goal is to play a role in the development of football in the Caribbean region, since he believes “there is so much room for development and growth, there is so much talent, it is only a matter of time till the structures are in place for the game to fully flourish in the region.”

In 2011, Nurse was named as Captain of Guyana’s senior men’s national football team, more popularly known as the Golden Jaguars.

Guyana contested 28 World Cup qualifiers since 1976 and although the National Team won its inaugural World Cup match 2-1 against Suriname at GCC ground, Bourda, July 4, 1976 and defeated Grenada 5-2 also at Bourda, along with another 5-2 win over Grenada at Bourda, March 1980 and a 3-2 win in the return fixture in April in St. George’s, the next time Guyana tasted World Victory was 31 years later when Nurse led the Golden Jaguars to a 2-0 win over Barbados at the Guyana National Stadium in August, 2011.

“Playing for Guyana allowed me to develop and flourish in my career and it is rightfully my responsibility to give back to the game in some capacity” Nurse noted, while adding “Be it externally from the federation or alongside the federation, without a doubt I will be back to pay my dues in the development and progress of football in Guyana.”

“Right now it is no secret that the federation view me as an adversarial character for my outspoken stance in relation to the handling of the game against Mexico and the monies still outstanding to the players. It is hard to see a resolution to the relationship until there is some closure to this issue, but in all honesty, I’m sure the federation really want the relationship to be repaired or for the issue to be resolved.
But my commitment to the game and to the development of football in Guyana remains as strong as ever” the Englishman stated.

Having won several titles during his playing career, Nurse, in 2014, won the North American Soccer League Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with the Breast Cancer Associations in South Florida; showing his commitment to the game and issues that affect players both on and off the field.

The former Puerto Rico FC player also encouraged other players to get into the realms of coaching, stating “play as long as you can, you have your whole life to be a coach, but once you commit there are an abundance of online resources to develop your skills, abilities and expand your mind as a coach.”

“Travel outside of Guyana and expose yourself to coaching sessions of professional clubs, have conversations with people and expand your network. Do not be ignorant enough to believe playing experience automatically translates into coaching ability; 100% there is value to a coach with playing experience, but take your time, commit to the learning process as a coach, become a student of the game as a coach and I am sure you will find the right balance” Nurse said.