Paul James is the technical director for the Bahamas Football Association (BFA). He is a native of Guyana and brings a strong background in soccer to his Bahamian position.
Recently, during a BFA presence in North Eleuthera for two clinics, I got an opportunity to speak with James about his perspective of The Bahamas' potential in soccer, with a focus on the young boys and girls he got to observe. He is satisfied that there is soccer talent in this country in abundance, but James is concerned about the "bad habits" that are picked up.
James wholeheartedly shared the enthusiastic climate in Spanish Wells and Harbour Island when he, BFA Vice President Fred Lunn and national team players Lesly St. Fleur and Daron Beneby conducted clinics for the all-age schools in those two island communities.
"I like the interest level. This is clear because a lot of young students came out. However, I see a lot of bad habits. This is always a case for concern because habits grow. The enthusiasm is one thing. The excitement is good, but they need to get proper teaching all along the way of their development. We need the knowledge at the top. The coaches need to know what to pass on to the young players. The young soccer players must be given the basics first. They need to be taken through workouts at least three times per week. In the case of the islands, perhaps a roving instructor would be ideal. There needs to be someone moving around the islands, working with the coaches in those communities to make sure they have at least the basic fundamentals," said James.
What he outlines actually follows through for the entire national program. I was chatting earlier this week with Dion Godet, one of the catalysts for the BFA youth program, and he talked also about the habits players are picking up from watching international soccer on cable networks.
"They want to make the spectacular plays before getting the basics of the game down, " Godet lamented.
It is this element that James wants to guard against as he continues his stint as the technical maestro for the BFA. The situation presents a huge challenge for the BFA at this time. This is a really interesting era in Bahamian soccer. The BFA is advancing quite well in play afield among the male and female players. However, the number of qualified coaches and officials is not moving on pace with the development of the players.
James is convinced though that a balance can be reached and he is dedicated to the cause. When The Bahamas' under-17 women's team knocked out his native Guyana, James was more concerned about the Bahamians although wishing his native squad well. James was quoted in the GuyPana Chronicle: "Here in The Bahamas, we have a very good youth structure with competitions for boys and girls under seven through to under-17.
"The youth league starts in November and culminates in April the following year. Our emphasis is on youth development and we have around 1,000 kids in the youth league."
As aforementioned, he advocates concentration on a roving instructor who can bring the coaches in the islands up to speed on the basics of the game. If the BFA could put the "roving instructor" in place, a lot of raw soccer talent would accordingly be nurtured. I spoke with BFA President Anton Sealey and he also favors a roving instructor.
"We should be able to do this," he said.
Best wishes to Sealey, James and the rest of the BFA with the national youth program!
To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at fredericksturrup@gmail.com
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