The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) stands to benefit greatly in the two areas of coaching and umpiring through the exposure of two of its national coaches to a world-level indoor hockey coaching course and the elevation of its most experienced umpire to the world body’s promising list.
Long-standing Women’s National Coach and GHB President, Philip Fernandes, along with Men’s National Coach Robert Fernandes both attended an Indoor High Performance Coaching Course held in Berlin, Germany, from February 5-8, during the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup.
The course was staged by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in conjunction with the European Hockey Federation (EHF), which boasts most of the top indoor hockey-playing nations of the world.
The course was conducted by a team of eight FIH coaching mentors, who are mostly former top international players who have moved on to the coaching world and some of whom were coaches of successful international teams in the recent past.
Along with the mentors, the participants of the course benefitted from lectures given by current top international coaches. Participants were selected through a global process and comprised of top coaches in their respective countries, which included Germany, the Netherlands, UK, Czechoslovakia, Canada, Jamaica, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malaysia and Guyana.
In addition to the presentations, participants were themselves assigned projects both individually and in groups, which required match analysis, presentations and the management of athletes during practical training sessions.
The Guyanese coaches were both highly complementary of the course and the learning opportunity it provided in addition to all the global contacts made for the sport.
Philip Fernandes, who is also a certified Pan American Hockey Federation Coach, received his FIH Level Three coaching certificate on this occasion and recommendation for the FIH Final Course placing him among elite company of very few in the region.
Umpire Devin Hooper, who had obtained his FIH badge back in 2008, is one of only two Guyanese to hold this prestigious status. This distinction approves an umpire as suitable to officiate in International competition.
After his officiating assignments in the 2017 Indoor Pan American Championships held in Georgetown, Guyana, Hooper received the additional recognition of being promoted to the FIH Promising list for Indoor Hockey.
This means that he is now being sought after by the International Federation as an umpiring talent to be developed for higher level competition. Guyana has never had an umpire reach the world class level for the sport and with this promotion, Hooper is likely to receive the much-needed attention and support to attain that level.
According to the Honorary Secretary of the GHB, for the quality of players to develop and advance in the sport, the officiating needs to also of a high quality. That way the players are being constantly trained in what is correct and what is not.
Such good habits are of paramount importance as these intricacies of the game can mean the difference between success and failure in the international game.
The GHB is proud of these recent achievements and look forward to having its local playing community benefit from the expertise of these individuals.
