Pandemic hampering KSAFA youth system

With no clear indication when football will resume because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) General Secretary Dwayne Dillon says the body has been using the break to reorganise its youth development programmes.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of a number of the KSAFA's youth competitions this summer, including the under-15 and under-17 tournaments.

Dillon said that youth football forms a very critical part of KSAFA's plans and it has taken steps to ensure these competitions remain vibrant whenever football resumes.

"As it is now, and given the circumstances with pandemic, there won't be any football soon and the difficulty is that we don't know when it will resume, so we plan around that," he said.

"However, what we are looking to do is to rebrand and to do an overhaul of our youth competitions to ensure that it is fit for purpose, and we can broaden the scope by bringing in a lot of the academies."

Dillon said that youth development in KSAFA has suffered a setback during the pandemic, but KSAFA wants to ensure that it does not fall further behind.

"It has affected our development badly, because that constant development that would normally take place from the youth level is not happening," he said.

Dillon said that KSAFA has been doing coaches seminars and clinics with its member clubs to ensure they are up to standard with the latest technology in football.

"No football means that our clubs won't be able to engage in any competitive action," he said.

"However, what we have been trying to do is to engage our clubs, our coaches and our managers in different training sessions virtually, to see how best we can improve on their skills so when we get back to the game, we have people who are more competent and who can carry out their functions in their individual organisations."