By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Four coaches representing English Premier League (EPL) teams will visit Korea to provide their experience and skills for Korean leaders, who are involved with disabled and women's teams.
The English Premier League (EPL)'s international grassroots project Premier Skills will be launched on Aug. 21 in a resort in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province and is run in partnership with the British Council. The one-week course will continue until Aug. 27,
Premier Skills is a coaching workshop that not only helps develop the coaching skills of young coaches, both male and female, but also teaches them to use football as a tool for community development.
Forty-four community football coaches from across the nation will participate in the workshop, which includes support from local partners such as the Korea Football Association for the Disabled (KFAD). Half of the participants are either currently coaching or are involved with disabled football teams. The Korea event will be the first time that the course has included participants with a disability.
Premier Skills has already held events in Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt, and Delhi and Kolkata in India. A number of workshops will be rolled out across Africa, India, China and South East Asia between now and 2010.
This project is being led by four English Premier League coaches, three from Everton FC, Scott Black, Andrew Brady, and Johnnie Garside, and the other from Tottenham Hotspur James Hemmings. They are especially experienced in community and disability football coaching.
Everton FC has competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons. The Liverpool-based club has played more top-flight league games than any other English team. They have won the League Championship nine times.
Black has UEFA B (level 3) coach license and has nine years experience coaching on the club's disabled program.
Tottenham Hotspur is well known to Korean football fans because national team defender Lee Young-pyo played three seasons for the club from 2005 to 2008.
Tottenham Hotspur, commonly referred to as Spurs, is based in Tottenham, North London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.
Spurs were the first club in the 20th century to become the League and FA Cup double champions, winning both competitions in the 1960-61 season.
Hemmings is a veteran coach, with 15 years of coaching experience. He also worked with the Special Olympics.
The interaction between the coaches and the participants is expected to encourage and empower their skills as effective football coaches.
At the launch day, a practical coaching demonstration for school children by the Premier League coaches will take place in the venue, too.
``We prepared this event to provide advanced football skills for Korean leaders, who are involved in women's and disabled teams,'' British Council Media Officer Goh Yoo-mie told The Korea Times, Thursday. ``We hope Korean football leaders can learn many things from the coaches of the Premier League, which is one of the best leagues in the world.''