Two youth team coaches, Roy and Jamie Thomas from the Premier League club, Swansea City, concluded a two-day training session in The Gambia last Sunday at the St. Augustine’s football field in Banjul. The two days training exercise was organised in a collaboration with Afia Banjul Football Academy Foundation, to help share coaching information and training.
Speaking to reporters, Roy Thomas, a head coach and coach developer at the South Wales club, said they were in The Gambia to pass information on to players and coaches in view to enhance their developmental skills, as players and coaches formulates a key part of the game.
In his remarks, he stated that, he has seen a lot of talented players with great enthusiasm and the right desire to develop and improve. He shared his believe that if some of these players are given the right training, they could flourish into becoming professional players themselves. He acknowledged the presence of a Gambian international in the Swansea team, Modou Barrow, whom he praised and said they are very proud of.
“We already have Gambian International, Modou Barrow playing for us and we are very proud of him,”said Roy Thomas.
Craig Goodman with the Afia Banjul Academy Foundation
Talking about youths football and development, and what the Afia Banjul Accademy needs, Mr Thomas pointed out that the academy needs to start working on technical training with the youngsters from a very early age, 6 to be precise, because football development requires specific needs and attention. He also made emphasis on the need for conducting more training sessions in the week.
Mr Thomas then concluded by thanking the Gambians on behalf of Swansea City for giving them the opportunity to spread the Swansea City way, saying they hope to return next year and if possible they would like to bring more coaches to work with the players and those to work with coaches – may be on a coaching seminar. He added he has also had some personal gains from the two experience as he learned to be more patient and not to expect too much too soon from training sessions.
The masterminders behind this coaching initiative, is the Wales couple Isabel and Craig Goodman who initially came into contact with Afia Banjul during a visit to The Gambia for their 10 year wedding anniversary. After watching the kids play on the beach with bare foot, Isabel, 39, who works for the South Wales Evening Post and Craig, aged 42, who is involved with Burry Port Senior Football Club thought about doing something about what they saw, by using their connections to help raise funding and football materials for the accademy.
Recalling that experience Isabel said: “We were on the beach and they were training barefoot. We spoke to the coaches and asked if we could help them.” And thats exactly what they did. First they collected materials from different parts of Wales including Evening Post, Achddu Villa Dental Practice in Burry Port, Pitton Cross Caravan Park, Rhossili and many more and made a revisit to the Gambia supplying these materials for the Accademy, and have since not relented in their efforts.
In their remarks about the coaching initiative, the couple stated their desire to continue raising funds and football materials such as boots, kits and so fort for kids in The Gambia, with their added aim to expand the academies across the country in the near future.
“This was the first time a premiership football club is coming out to The Gambia and it was really good for the children to have coaches from another country,” they said. They futher expressed their hope that the coaches were able to teach the kids some new skills and also take back some skills to Swansea.
Roy Thomas – Swansea head of coaches training
Lamin Jobarteh, the Team Manager at Afia Banjul Football Academy stressed the importance of having the coaches from Swansea City and stated it’s rewards are not just for the accademy but for the country at large.
“They were here to train our youths who will be the country’s future national team players,” he said.
“We need future footballers and cannot have them without having proper training and opportunities,” he added.
He further described how the academy started training at the beach side with fifteen players who were without proper materials, but admitted that number has gradually been increasing year by year.
He also stated they have strong coaches who are technically and tactically aware of the game, and that they do not only train the kids but also inculcate discipline in them. He went on to reveal their vision to build stronger links with Swansea City Football Club and the football world at large as part of their aspirations to see Gambian kids play in professional leagues in future.
He thanked Swansea City’s management, Afia Academy’s president, Isabel and Craig Goodman and everyone who contributed to making the visit possible.
Tijan Youlla, Academy head coach, said the training session will motivate the kids, adding that the coaches from Swansea were happy and they have learned new things.
“We want to see these kids in Swansea in future,” he said. Adding: “We like the kids and want to develop Gambian football.
“I look forward to seeing this happen every year but for us to also go and visit them and show them that we can do something.”
Swansea City has a well established football development structure which helps in developing young footballers to start their journey in becoming professionals. The club currently operate 17 development centres in Wales and Bristol with further centres in Ireland. Which is Open to players of all ability, children as young as five, with the aim to teach them the basic skills and techniques at an early age with view to help them progress to the next stage in their football life.
And having their experties and developmental skills for Gambian kids, even for a day or two could play big part in developing them into very good players.
