12 May Guam, NMI add 13 to internationally licensed GK coaches list
[May 11, 2020 – Harmon, Guam] Thirteen of the region’s licensed football coaches officially added another license to their coach education resume – the AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate – following passing grades issued by AFC Instructor Yoshio Kato from Japan.
Guam Football Association received the coaches’ official certificates from AFC a few weeks after the course concluded Jan. 31 at GFA.
“One of the key components of football development is coach education, and I am pleased to see more coaches earning higher licenses and specialized licenses like the AFC Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate,” said Sang Hoon Kim, GFA Technical Director. “We have many youth players who show potential to play at high levels and have a passion to succeed, but they also must be coached properly to reach their potential. This is why coach education is so important. I hope to see more of Guam’s coaches taking part in coach education courses, especially ones here in Guam – whether it’s to earn licenses through the GFA “D” Coaching Course and AFC courses, or for enrichment. Currently licensed coaches also should take part in local courses as a refresher, as football trends change all the time.”
Ten of the successful course participants are from Guam and three were registered under the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. Guam’s coaches are Ralph Awa, Robert Becker, Ashley Besagar, Julius “JR” Campos, Shawn Gumataotao, Dr. Gary Larkin, Chima Mbakwem, Pution Mendiola, Chyna Ramirez, and Kimberly Sherman. The three coaches from Saipan are Mae Ito, Poon Kwok Kei, and Raymond Zapanta.
Guam more than doubled its number of licensed goalkeeper coaches following January’s AFC Level 1 course. Previously, only four currently in Guam held international goalkeeping coaching certificates: Ross Awa, Dominic Gadia, Brett Maluwelmeng, and Johann Noetzel.
The January course conducted by Kato, and coordinated locally by Ross Awa, featured classroom sessions, practical sessions with assessments, and a theory exam, all at the Guam Football Association National Training Center in Harmon.
Kato, a former Japan National Team player and professional goalkeeper, also was part of the coaching staff of several of Japan’s national teams in various FIFA World Cup tournaments, first with Japan’s team at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago in 2001. He also was part of Japan’s coaching staff at two FIFA U20 World Cup tournaments – 2003 in United Arab Emirates and 2005 in the Netherlands. In 2010, he was appointed as part of Japan’s coaching staff at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate is the first of three in a tiered education system. To be officially be registered as a Goalkeeper Coach at the U16 to senior international level, coaches must have at least the Level 2 certificate this year through to 2021, according the AFC Competitions Operations Manual 2019 Edition 2. By 2022, Goalkeeper Coaches must have a Level 3 certificate.
To be fully registered as a participant in an AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate course, coaches must already have at least an AFC “C” Coaching Certificate or equivalent, as approved by AFC.
AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate Course coaches pose with participation certificates during the course’s closing ceremony at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Jan. 31. All coaches received satisfactory marks during the course, with AFC issuing official certificates a few weeks later. In the photo are, front row from left to right, Poon Kwok Kei, Ashley Besagar, Kimberly Sherman, GFA Assistant Technical Director and course coordinator Ross Awa, AFC Instructor Yoshio Kato, GFA President Tino San Gil, Julius “JR” Campos and Mae Ito. In the back row from left to right are Ralph Awa, Robert Becker, Chyna Ramirez, Shawn Gumataotao, Chima Mbakwem, Dr. Gary Larkin, Raymond Zapanta, and Pution Mendiola.
AFC Instructor Yoshio Kato addresses coaches following a practical session during the AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate Course held at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Jan. 24-31. In the photo are Kato, left, and course participant Shawn Gumataotao. All 13 coaches in the course received satisfactory marks and AFC issued official coaching certificates a few weeks after the course concluded.
Participating coaches in the AFC Level 1 Goalkeeping Coaching Certificate Course held at the Guam Football Association National Training Center Jan. 24-31 pose for a group photo ahead of one of their practical sessions with visiting AFC Instructor Yoshio Kato from Japan. All 13 coaches – 10 from Guam and three from the Northern Mariana Islands – were successful in the course and results were forwarded to GFA, along with certificates, a few weeks after the course concluded. In the photo are, front row from left to right, Poon Kwok Kei, Mae Ito, and Raymond Zapanta all from the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, Shawn Gumataotao, Chyna Ramirez, Kimberly Sherman, and Ashley Besagar. In the back row, from left to right are, Ralph Awa, Pution Mendiola, Dr. Gary Larkin, GFA Assistant Technical Director and AFC course coordinator Ross Awa, AFC Instructor Yoshio Kato from Japan, Julius “JR” Campos, Robert Becker, and Chima Mbakwem.