Coaches, Referees complete education courses ahead of youth league

Coaches, Referees complete education courses ahead of youth league

[February 6, 2020 – Harmon, Guam] With the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth Soccer League set to kick off its 2020 Spring season Saturday, close to 50 coaches and new referees completed Guam Football Association education courses to continue improving the league and level of play.

For Community First/Days Inn Dededo Soccer Club’s Roy Santos, the GFA “D” Coaching Course provided the knowledge and networking for him to confidently move up to coaching a U10 division team after four years with U8 division teams.

“The course has definitely elevated my knowledge in coaching and understanding of the needs of the U6-U8 age groups and even into the U10 age group,” Santos said after completing the course Monday evening. “My favorite part of the course was the details – our instructor, Coach (Sang Hoon) Kim, he is so detailed with all aspects; he was detailed in explaining movement and technique, showing us how. It really helped me, so I know I’ve got to be more detailed in coaching, especially with the younger kids.

“I highly recommend this course to everybody – I even recommend it to others who may have taken it before,” Santos added.

The GFA “D” Coaching Course, supported by Japan Football Association, was facilitated by instructor and GFA Technical Director Sang Hoon Kim and Assistant Ross Awa. The course was held from Feb. 1 to 3, with over a dozen coaches engaging in classroom discussions and instruction, outdoor practical sessions with assessments by Kim and Awa, and also a skills test for coaches. During the skills test, Kim and Awa evaluated each coach’s ability in shooting, dribbling, passing, and juggling the ball.

In addition to coaches, over 30 new referees may receive their first-ever appointments for matches this Saturday in the U8 and U10 divisions. Referees completed a GFA Entry Level Referee Course with instructor and Director of Referees George Stewart and GFA Referee Development Officer Kyle Legozzie, with the assistance of Josiah Elwell, last month. Referee development courses are supported in great part by Japan Football Association.

“The entry-level course is mainly catered to young kids who want to officiate and also to introduce them to the referee pathway,” said Legozzie, who was one of Guam’s first-ever FIFA Assistant Referees. “During the course, we do cover all of the Laws of the Game, but put emphasis on Laws applicable to the U8 and U10 matches in the youth league. Most new referees will remain officiating at the U8 or U10 level for at least two seasons, and if they show promise, we do try to bump them up to upper age divisions.

“Although the main target is to get more youth involved in officiating, the course is open for all. This past course, not only did we have youth participants, we also had referees from the Masters Division of the Budweiser Soccer League, youth coaches, and parents who all wanted to learn more about the game, help advocate or support their children who have been officiating, or just to better their knowledge of the sport,” Legozzie added.

The referee course was beneficial to 18-year-old Allan Aranas, who has been called up to represent Guam as a youth national player, but has never officiated in any match.

“When I first chose to take the Entry Level Referee Course, I just wanted to learn more about the sport and understand the Laws of the Game more,” said Aranas, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School. “I learned a lot in the course and look forward to trying the referee role in games. I’m hoping that it’s fun and not complicated.”

As the course was capped at 30 participants, many registered as part of a waitlist. To meet this demand, Legozzie plans to conduct another Entry Level course ahead of the 2020 Fall season of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth League later this year. In addition to the Entry Level course, Legozzie also has been facilitating refresher courses for returning referees from last year.

To view GFA’s Calendar of events, leagues, and courses, visit the official GFA Web site at https://guamfa.com/events

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Community First/Days Inn Dededo Soccer Club coach Roy Santos takes part in the dribbling portion of the Coaches Skills Test as GFA Technical Director and course instructor Sang Hoon Kim, in white hat, observes his technique during the Guam Football Association “D” License Course held at GFA from Feb. 1-3 at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. The course is the first of its kind this year facilitated by Kim and assisted by Ross Awa.

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Sang Hoon Kim, in center with blue Macron shirt, explains the objectives of a practical session during the Guam Football Association “D” License Course held at GFA from Feb. 1-3 at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. The course is the first of its kind this year facilitated by Kim and assisted by Ross Awa.

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Guam Football Association Entry Level Referee Course Instructor Kyle Legozzie, center, explains proper positioning to course participants last month at the GFA National Training Center. Referees completing the Entry Level Referee Course may get assignments to officiate matches on opening day of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth Soccer League Saturday at GFA.

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Eleanor Kentz, in blue shirt, prepares to blow her whistle to restart play during a practical session of the Guam Football Association Entry Level Referee Course held last month at the GFA National Training Center. Referees completing the Entry Level Referee Course may get assignments to officiate matches on opening day of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth Soccer League Saturday at GFA.

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Allan Aranas, in white, indicates which team has possession of the ball on a throw in during a practical session of the Guam Football Association Entry Level Referee Course held last month at the GFA National Training Center. Referees completing the Entry Level Referee Course may get assignments to officiate matches on opening day of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth Soccer League Saturday at GFA.

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Allan Aranas, in white, prepares to blow his whistle to stop play during a practical session of the Guam Football Association Entry Level Referee Course held last month at the GFA National Training Center. Referees completing the Entry Level Referee Course may get assignments to officiate matches on opening day of the Triple J Auto Group Robbie Webber Youth Soccer League Saturday at GFA.