Football Federation of Belize (FFB) in collaboration with the San Pedro Sports Committee hosted a four- day football development workshop for talent identification and capacity building on Ambergris Caye. The event was part of the FFB Talent Academy and Grassroots Program, and is evaluating the skills of young athletes accompanied with a course for coaches and aspiring coaches. The workshop began on June 17th and culminated with an all – day football fair at the Ambergris Stadium on Saturday, June 20th, where football lovers displayed skills learned during the training program.
Heading the workshop was FFB Technical Director Renan Cowo. He indicated that FFB is conducting the Grassroots Program to bring structure to the sport of football in Belize. The ultimate goal is to improve the national selection of Belize and the sport on a whole.
“We came to San Pedro to do two programs, including the formation of football academies for sub 13, sub 15, and sub 17, and at the same time build capacity for coaches. We want to establish these three categories in San Pedro and continuously work with them. Again, this is the continuous support that FIFA continues to give to football in Belize,” said Cowo.
The establishment of football academies in San Pedro will allow young athletes to compete in upcoming national tournaments. The first national tournament will take place on July 28th, in the City of Belmopan for sub 15 teams. Over 100 athletes of all ages participated in the workshop and five coaches took the level 1 training.
“The turnout was excellent and this gives us a broader idea of how strong football is on the island. We hope when we have the teams formed, the athletes will get at least 48 games annually,” stated Cowo. He also mentioned that once the athletes learn the fundamentals that the federation teaches, Belize can have a better participation abroad in the near future.
