GOLDEN Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz broke new ground completing a course in Strategic Communication at UEFA’s Academy in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday.
Shabazz was the only football coach among a group of Communications Experts from the European Football Union ( UEFA). The UEFA Strategic Communication Compact Course ran from January 24 to 27 and was attended by the Heads of Media and Communications for countries including France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Wales, Norway, Finland and Turkey among others.
The Trinidad-born Shabazz viewed his attendance as a personal investment to his career.
“It’s important to equip myself with additional competencies, since a lot of our work in modern football involves communication and human resource management, explained Shabazz.
“UEFA is the most advanced Confederation in FIFA and this experience has sharpened my insight for an adjusted approach in terms of communications.
Some of the topics delivered at the UEFA Strategic Communications course included; Evidence-oriented communications, Quantifying the impact and benefits of PR in the modern world, Content strategy and campaigns, Political advocacy and Introduction to issues, management & crisis communications.
“When we look at the impact UEFA Champions League has on our psyche in the Caribbean, it reflects a clear communications strategy that has worked and influenced the world.”
The ambitions we have for 2026 demands a competence greater than coaching. We have to mobilize a country and get different stakeholders working towards one objective, added Shabazz.
Shabazz mentioned a need for federations in the Caribbean to recruit young people and invest in the future.
“There is a tech-savvy generation born after 2000 that we are not utilizing at all. They can reach the masses faster than a press conference with just a touch of their phone.”
“We need to recruit them because they understand communicating in the here and now, added Shabazz.
Despite his personal investment, Shabazz acknowledged the role of the Office of the President of the Cooperate Republic of Guyana, the Ministry of Culture, and Youth & Sport in Guyana, Go Logistics and the GFF in making his trip possible.
The Guyana National Coach will leave Switzerland over the weekend and spend 10 days in the United Kingdom observing overseas-based players.
