May 15, 2017 By Memunatu Bangura
Participants displaying their certificates
In a bid to promote sport in Sierra Leone, Street Soccer Foundation in collaboration with Coaches Across Continents and the Hat-Trick Initiative, has on Friday, 12th May, 2017, certified football coaches, athletes and Physical and Health Education teachers from various schools across the country.
The participants were certified after completing a five days training of fifteen (15) hours on-field training at National Stadium in Freetown.
The topics that were discussed during the training included: skill for life promoting self-directed learning, health and wellness including HIV behaviour change, female empowerment and gender equity, conflict prevention and social inclusion, child Right education, women’s Rights policy education and sport for fun.
Chief Executive Officer of Street Soccer Foundation, Abubakar Johnson, said the outcome of the training was more than a success, adding that such training would impact positively on the sporting sector in the country.
Mr. Johnson stated that because of his passion for Sierra Leone, he was using his foundation to give back to the development of the country, adding that money was not about everything but rather giving back to the country.
He called on participants to implement experience acquired to their various teams, pupils and members in their society, adding that participants should implement local games that would impact positively on their various communities.
“There are coaches across the country that will change and promote sport if only they implement their experience learnt from here,” he said.
Mr. Johnson pleaded with Sierra Leoneans to change their mindset for the development of the country, stating that he would be working with partners to sustain the training exercise.
Jordan Stephenson from United Kingdom, working with Coaches Across Continents, thanked participants for their commitment, stating that one of the aims of the training was to implement social change in society.
He added that Coaches across continent was working with forty different countries around the world, educating them about the value of sport in national development and social change.
Jordan said Coaches across Continent would be working in collaboration with Street Soccer Foundation to make sure the training continues.
He called on participants to share their experience with other coaches in the country, members of their various teams and pupils, adding that sport was a tool for change in a society.
One of the participants, Isata L. Conteh, coaching Isata FC, said it was her first time to go through such training and gained a lot of experience.
She stated that she was grateful to Street Soccer Foundation and Coaches across Continent for the opportunity, adding that she would implement the new ideas to members of her team.
“I am grateful and I appreciate a lot for the training, I will implement the new ideas to the boys in my team,” she said.
Sarah Marrah, PHE teacher from Vine Memorial Secondary School said she has learnt different type games that were not part of their teaching curriculum in school.
She added that she has also learnt new warming up activities and games that she would in turn teach her pupils to keep them physically fit.