JAMAICA’S football coaches will have the opportunity to further upgrade themselves soon with the introduction of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) University of Technology (UTech) Advanced Level 2 Coaching Course.

Under the direction of FIFA instructors, two courses, the first of which will run from February 8-15 and the second February 18-25, will be held in the year 2010. The first of the two courses will be held at the University of Technology with the second to be hosted in western Jamaica at a venue to be decided.

Coaches, mainly in schoolboy football and Premier League, in possession of an Advanced Level 1 Certificate, its equivalent or higher can secure application forms at the offices of the Federation, complete and return form no later than the deadline of January 13, 2010. The cost of the course is set at $35,000 per person and covers class materials and lunch.

Among the topics that will be covered in the Advance Level 2 Course are: Advanced material on Coaching methods such as Planning, Preparing; Conducting Coaching Sessions/Periodisation; Player Characteristics: Talent Identification; Player Management; Match Analysis and Football Fitness.

These Advanced Level 2 course are a continuation of the Federation’s declared objective of ushering in a new era in the development of the country’s football.

In 1998 Jamaica achieved its greatest success so far with qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France and during that campaign the country achieved it highest FIFA world ranking of 37.

To replicate and surpass those feats, the Federation in association with UTech launched its coaching school in 2009 and stated that successful participation in the courses is a mandatory requirement for allowance to coach at any level in Jamaica. All persons coaching in Jamaica will have to be registered with the JFF and as of September 9, 2009 no coach will be able to perform in an approved JFF competition without certification approved by the body.

It was also decided that on a phased basis the requirements to coach at the Primary School will be Advanced level 1, Secondary schools Advanced Level 2 and Advanced Level 3 for the Premier League and national team coaching.