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ZIFA technical director, Wilson Mutekede, has called out for academies to consider age-specific coaching for all those involved in junior football development.
He toured Legends Football Academy yesterday before handing the academy ZIFA’s certificate of excellence.
“One of the important aspects, in terms of the academies, it’s age-specific coaching.
“You will not coach an under-nine when you are going to coach under-13s and under-15s.
“The communication from the coach, the content that one is going to coach must be specific to that age.
“We are saying we need a coach who can communicate well with the kids at that stage.
“That’s the stage where we don’t want to hear high pitches of voices demanding this and that as the kids are doing it for fun and learning through play.
“We need the correct coaches at the right stages.
“We also want the proper coach who is qualified to handle kids at that stage.”
He added:
“This is the golden stage of learning.
“Academy coaches should realise that their main mandate is not about competition but developing and nurturing players going through the process of development.
“We need to ensure that coaches always keep updated on what is happening in football.
“In sports, there are a lot of dynamics, even in athletics, where one is just running along the course of the track.
“They are taught a lot of things in terms of energy systems and how to maximise their performance. “What more of football where you are going to be competing with people who are better-equipped?
“We insist academies are there purely for development.”
Online Reporter