Fresh from a successful coaching course in Papua New Guinea, Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Technical director Jim Selby turned his attention to the development of Cook Island football during a seven day visit early this month.
Selby’s visit targeted the Cook Island Football Association (CIFA) U-16 training squad, CIFA Administration and technical staff and local coaches.
Selby’s course included coaching demonstrations, mentoring, match analysis and facility mapping.
Selby was in the country for several reasons. He assisted with the set-up of a talented players program for potential World Cup players at U-17 and U-20 age levels.
He also helped set up age appropriate small sided games for children aged from 6-13 on age appropriate sized fields.
Getting kids active and playing at a young age is part of an active and healthy for life program implemented by CIFA.
“If kids can be active, enjoy the game and play just for fun at an early age, then it will carry with them for the rest of their lives,” Selby said.
Selby also helped set up an education program where local instructors deliver OFC courses to the local coaches
Selby will return to the Cook Islands in July while a number of Cook Island coaches have confirmed they will attend an instructor’s course Selby will run in Fiji in June.
“The idea is to build skills in local people so they can run their own coach education and development courses. This way you don’t have to bring people in all the time, instead you have locally based people with those skills.”
