Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com
KINGSTOWN, ST. Vincent: President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Major St. Clair Leacock yesterday announced to members of the Vincentian media that the SVGFF has already begun to put in place a programme to prepare this country’s national teams for the 2010 World Cup.
The announcement came during a briefing at the Federation’s office on Murray’s Road in Kingstown.
In addition to the President of the Federation, the briefing heard addresses from the Coach of the national team, Czech national Zoran Vranes, Manager of the national team, Maxim James and the Haiti-born, Brazilian resident Fredric Aupont who represents Finta, the sponsor of the SVG national team.
Manager of the national team, Maxim James spoke in greater details about the components of such a programme.
He explained: “As we are preparing to go forward, the coach and myself along with the member of the federation are preparing long term programmes.
“We always had a parallel programme: Trying to do well during the 2006 World Cup sojourn but our ultimate goal is to have a strong team and to be fully ready for the 2010 World Cup, and this sort of preparation is underway.”
James, a former national player, said that the experience in the 2006 World Cup campaign clearly states that the limited resources available to the team and the Federation are quite restricting in trying to compete against major football playing nations.
He suggested that achieving this end will call for a two-prong approach with efforts being exerted by both the Federation and the players.
James said that Vincentian footballers have to aspire to level of professionalism necessary to play football on the international scene. He said that the Football Federation also has to begin to behave in a manner that will support players and carry them forward and for St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a nation to successfully compete on the World Cup plain.
He noted that the success of the team against Trinidad a few weeks ago, the first win in an international match on home soil since 1979, and said that this pleased the nation.
He said that the team has been playing well but did not convert most of their opportunities.
He said now that the Federation’s programme is in place the hope is to develop the national team to becoming one of best in region.
James expressed thanks to sponsors, government and the National Sports Council for their contribution and assistance during the World Cup campaign.
President of the Federation St. Clair Leacock, who is also a senator for the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), mentioned that the team moved up 32 places in the last FIFA ranking. He said that as such the term “Vincy Heat” will be used “very guardedly” and every effort would be made to preserve the “Vincy Heat” brand.
Therefore, the team competing in any non-international matches will be known as the “SVG Federation 11”
The “Federation 11” will play the Barbados national team in a Digicel Cup Finals warm up encounter in Barbados this weekend.
According to Leacock, the SVG national team has also been invited to tour Brazil this year.
Development of youth footballers is high on the agenda of the Federation especially in light of the fact that the Captain Ezra Hendrickson has formally retired while, according to Leacock, Striker Kendall Vellox is considering doing so.
Senator Leacock said that his executive will deal with retirement of players in very professional way. He said that a benefit match is being planned for Hendrickson. This match is tentatively slated for October.
Coach Vranes, who has a three year contract with the Federation, has named 15-year-old Dwayne Peters, a member of Prospect United Football Club, as the substitute goal keeper, ahead of a number of older players who have been around the team much longer.
Frederic Aupont, a former player of the Haiti national team, commended the Federation for its approach to the 2010 World Cup. He said that most countries usually “relax” after a World Cup campaign until about one year before the next one.
He described the step taken by the Federation as a move toward resolving its challenges in a scientific rather than cosmetic way.
He said that a scientific approach to football includes making a solid foundation on which one can build in the future.
He said that one can look at football from two perspectives: either to be emotionally involved or accept it as a commodity on which one can build.
He said that all the top football nations of the world understand that money has to be invested to ensure the success of the sport.
Previous Page Print This Page.
Copyright© 2007 Caribbean Net News at www.caribbeannetnews.com All Rights Reserved
License is granted for free print and distribution.
