New York-based, SVG-born football coach – Renrick ‘Scrambler’ Alexander has added his voice in reference to the banning of the Volcanoes FC from all Football activities organized on the auspices of and/or supported by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF).
A ruling by the Disciplinary Committee of the SVGFF after considering the circumstances surrounding an incident at the Victoria Park on February 8, handed down a two-year ban of the senior male and female teams, as well as the club’s Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 teams.
Additionally, four players got individual bans ranging from two to ten years, the founder was handed a two- year suspension, with the club also fined $3000 and mandated to apologise to the SVG Referees Association among other penal and reformation conditions.
But Alexander believes that apart from the suspensions being “excessive,” such draconian actions could have been avoided if there was a clear pathway towards Youth Development.
According to Alexander, “The failure of youth development programmes from the SVGFF is the main cause of the disciplinary problems…When there’s proper structure in place all these problems will be lessened or even avoided.”
He went on to point out that many of the young footballers lack guidance and at times proper examples.
“The youths are lacking guidance, structure and proper behavioural management information, and I can attest to that as I witnessed it for myself… Furthermore, when you have coaches on the sidelines questioning every single call the officials make, instilling thoughts in their players that the officials are against them, obviously this will lead to lack of trust as well,” Alexander added.
Alexander was forthright saying that guidance and initiatives were absent from the administrative arm of the SVGFF.
“The SVGFF is not doing anything to guide the youths in a professional pathway…They left it up to the clubs and give the clubs no guidance or resources to provide for the youths… Therefore, until more is done for the youth footballers of the country, the same thing will occur, as there should be the way to guide and groom these young players to be good outstanding citizens of the beautiful game of football,” Alexander shared.
Source :The Vincentian