Big turnout for NMIFA clinic

Over 250 youth players took the American Memorial Park by storm over the weekend, soaking as much knowledge as they can about the sport of soccer in an introductory clinic hosted by the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association and conducted by coaches from the Guam Football Association.

The clinic also featured a coaches segment that attracted about 20 parents, who took lessons from professional coach Norio Tsukitate, as well as Frank Camacho, Hiroshi Katsumata, and Tino San Gil of the GFA.

“The coaches clinics were good and fun, we played a lot and we’re very soar,” said Elisa Long, a parent who decided to assist as a coach. “We learned a lot about the rules, safety tips, and we know some drills to do to keep the kids occupied. We’re doing it for fun.”

Fellow parent Winnie Lee explained that the clinic enabled her to understand the game better.

“I knew nothing about the game but now I’m kind a able to coach a game step by step…I’m learning a lot,” she said yesterday. “Our kids joined soccer and so we decided to come and help out.”

Among the players was Gabrielle Race, who confirmed that the two-day session was “fun, fun, fun.”
“I’m having fun today. It’s good and I’m learning a lot. I’m enjoying it,” she said.

According to NMIFA president Jerry Tan, the main purpose of hosting the clinic was to introduce the sport to the youth in hopes of developing players’ skills.

“We just want to properly introduce the sport of soccer, and through the professional coaches from Guam, we can teach them the basics correctly,” he said. “This is better than our expectations in terms of the turnout and the quality of the clinic that we’re able to get from our four coaching experts from the [GFA]. I can see that everybody is very enthusiastic about this weekend.”

Coach Tsuki explained that a bright future lays ahead for CNMI soccer, citing that the support from parents and organizers will play a big role in the development of the sport.

“Everything is good,” he said. “The children are having fun and they can be good football players in future and maybe Saipan can go to international competitions. The program is okay and will improve. Now its just beginning and we have people with good heart and are trying hard to grow the sport.”

NMIFA secretary general Peter Coleman elaborated on the sessions, adding that the four coaches introduced various drills, stretches, and ways of dealing with the different age groups.

“We learned that you deal with six year olds, eight year olds, 10 year olds, and 12 year olds a little differently,” he said. “We learned a number of drills, the stretching exercise for both before and after, and most importantly we learned that children are not mini adults. They’re children and they play sports to have fun, so we want to make sure that the parents remember that…we want it to be fun first then competitive as they get a little bit older and develop.”

In the two days, participants learned ways to improve their kicking, passing, dribbling, and running skills.