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Stern's award programme gets high praise. more

The Stern John Skills Award

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The establishment of the Stern John Football Skills Award Committee was initiated by national striker, Stern John in 2003.  The Vision was for this Committee, in conjunction with the public (Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs) and private sector to take the sport of football to the multi-religious private and public primary schools throughout Trinidad.  The programme was to focus on the development of basic football skills.   We have witnessed the growth and success of the programme from 2003 to 2006, as measured by the increased number of primary schools and individual pupils participating and the improved skills demonstrated by ongoing participants.  The committee recognises that if the growth and standard of the programme is to be sustained, it is necessary that we have guaranteed commitment and increased financial support from all stakeholders.

We have therefore prepared a promotional marketing package, which will be used to encourage corporate and continued public sector sponsorship of the programme.  The packages that are being offered are as follows:

Sponsorship Packages –An Opportunity to Partner with the SJFSA

Total funding required:  TT$2m over a three year period

Branding Opportunities

     Balls

     T-shirts for players, coaches, judges and committee members

     Football kits

     Stationery

     Banners at training sessions, playoffs and finals

     DVD production

     Printed and electronic advertisements for regional playoffs and finals

     Banners at Awards Ceremony

     Trophies and Medals

     Advertising Specialty Items for awards

     Special Event – Easter Football Festival

     Media Coverage of regional playoffs, finals and Awards Function

     Participation in television sports programmes

     Coaching Sessions

     Web site links – www.sternjohn.com

     Promotional alignment of Stern John with the company’s products and services

Background

The Stern John Football Skills Award Programme was launched in 2003, to give birth to a dream that national footballer, Stern John had, for nurturing basic football skills in our youth.  To this end, a partnership was established with former Sports Administrators, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation – the Stern John Football Skills Award Committee was established.  With Stern’s support, the committee was also able to establish an alliance with the Birmingham City FC Academy.  The objectives of this committee were defined as follows:

Objectives

1. To introduce, improve and develop all the basic skills of passing, receiving, shooting, heading, juggling, dribbling, trapping, ball control and turning
2. To train teachers, parents and community sports leaders in the art of teaching and coaching of the basic skills of football
3. To improve the physical fitness and enhance the psycho-man, mental and social skills of the children through football
4. To encourage the positive use of leisure time
5. To provide fun and enjoyment for young children
6. To improve the standard of football in Primary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

The programs implemented by the Stern John Skills Award Committee have not only successfully achieved its stated objectives but additionally have:

ð      Raised the profile and awareness of football at the primary school level 

ð      Encouraged and established collaborative relationships and sharing of knowledge

ð      Facilitated the development of additional football programs aimed at both the players and the coaches

ð      Have been recognised by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation as a significant foundation programme

The Personnel

The membership of the Stern John Football Skills Award Committee is as follows:

Our Approach

The programme is managed by a central coordinating committee, which is comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Sports

and Youth Affairs, former public and private sector sports administrators.

For the purpose of effective programme administration, the country has been subdivided consistent with the existing eight (8) educational districts of:

North East                                             Tobago

South East                                            St. Patrick

St. George East                                    Port of Spain

Victoria                                                 Caroni

Our business cycle is as follows:

Technical Committee

§   Reviews impact of completed program

§   Makes recommendations for program enhancement

§   Review and acceptance by full SJSA Committee

§   Recruitment and Selection of SJSA Coaches

Programme Launch

§   Briefing Session and Training for SJSA Coaches and Teacher/Coaches from participating schools

§   Briefing Session for Schools and confirmation of participation

Programme Implementation and Monitoring

§   Weekly Reports from SJSA Coaches

§   Evaluation, Monitoring and Modifying via Monthly SJSA Committee Meetings

§   Selection and training of judges for playoffs and finals

§   Regional Playoffs

Marketing and Public Relations Committee

§   Soliciting private sector for assistance with deferral of expenditure

§   Working alongside the Technical Committee in coordinating training sessions and playoffs

§   Organisation of Final Awards Ceremony

§   Liaison with Media, Ministries and Sponsors

Closure of Programme for Fiscal Year

§   National Finals

§   Award Ceremony

§   Programme Assessment

Stern John Football Skills Award Program Coaches are a combination of current football coaches, former national football players and current football players.  They are all required to undergo formal training in the requirements of the Stern John Skills Award Programme.  The training is taken under the guidance of the members of the Technical Committee.

The coaching sessions, playoffs and finals are conducted over a period extending from September to March on an annual basis.  The judges for the playoffs and finals are selected from among football players in the Secondary Schools Football League.  The formal training of the judges selected is conducted by the Technical Committee.

From Strength to Strength – A Progress Report

There are four hundred and twenty five (425) primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.  In 2005/2006, twenty six per cent (26%) of these multi-religious private and public primary schools participated in the Stern John Football Skills Award Programme.

The following table summarises the growth of program and its source of funds to date:

Rewarding Achievements and Sustaining Interest

Our Prize Structure seeks to reward individual students, teams, coaches, teacher coaches and schools for their progress.  This year 2005/2006, the reward and recognition structure was as follows:

It has been interesting to note that the winners of the above categories have primarily hailed from the rural areas – Arima, Palo Seco, Moruga and Tobago see 2005/2006 results in Appendix

The Critical Success Factors

The Critical Success Factors for this programme have been identified as follows:

v    Administration of programme

Þ    Leadership

Þ    Commitment

Þ    Adherence to standards

Þ    Continuous review and process improvement

v    Coaches

Þ    Quantity

Þ    Quality

Þ    Commitment

v    Teacher Coaches

Þ    Quantity

Þ    Quality

Þ    Commitment

v    Student, School and Community Participation

Þ    Communication – creating awareness

Þ    Incentives for Participation – motivation

Þ    Continuous Process Improvement – creating new challenges

Þ    Commitment

v    Resources

Þ    Financial

Þ