Officials from the Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA) are visiting the outer island of Aitutaki this week where they are conducting an OFC Junior Coaching Course for participants on the island.

CIFA’s Technical Director Maurice Tillotson and Development Officer Jimmy Katoa have ‘tailor-made’ the course to meet the needs of the participants – many of whom are relatively new to coaching.

Aitutaki is an island, prominent for its lagoon and hotels, located north of Rarotonga and approximately 55 minutes by plane.

The five-day course which finishes on Saturday, aims to qualify all participants and up-skill them with the latest coaching methods for junior players.

Tillotson, who returned to the Cook Islands four months ago after an absence of five years, said the visit has several objectives.

“It is several years since an official football coaching course was held on the island, therefore, a visit is long overdue.  Along with Jimmy (Katoa) we will be making an assessment of the state of the game in Aitutaki from a perspective of playing, coaching and infrastructure,” Tillotson said.

 

“It has been suggested that the game in Aitutaki has taken a backward step over the past few years and it is our intention to help rekindle the (football) vitality that existed there previously.”

 

Outer Islands Development is one of the many objectives embraced by the Technical Department and included in their teaching will be aspects of CIFA’s Talented Player, National Teams, Grassroots Development and Coach Development programs.

Within these strategic objectives lie many sub-categories for CIFA such as the National Youth Championship and Talented Player Academies for male and female players.

Other sub-categories include the Cook Islands national mens teams’ successful tour of Tonga, the ‘grass-roots’ Primary School Program and Just Play sessions (attracting up to 150+ children), Coach Development Program which includes the OFC Senior Community Coaching Certificate and the Outer Island visits which are currently in progress.   

Tillotson says he is looking forward to being able to asses exactly "the state of the game" when the season commences in October. The CIFA football season is being slightly delayed this year due to the World Youth Netball Championship and Pacific Mini Games which are being held in Rarotonga.

Courtesy of CIFA Media