Wilson wants greater support for G.C. Foster
Published:Monday | September 5, 2022 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
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Principal of the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education...
Principal of the G. C. Foster College of Physical Education & Sport Maurice Wilson says the 42 -year-old institution requires greater support as it seeks to embark on a new scientific approach going forward.
Wilson noted that the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and Ministry of Education have given them tremendous assistance but called for more assistance from the private sector as they look to lift standards at the sports college.
“Over the years, the institution has served Jamaica well. It is one of the few institutions that has a mandate to produce coaches, teachers, and physical education trainers. We have also dominated the area of sports-massage therapy,” Wilson said. “But now, we are focusing on the science. The new thrust is to focus on science, whether it be biometrics of movements or scientific performance. But I personally think the institution is underfunded for a specialist institution.”
He said they will be offering various types of packages, with the hope of enticing the private sector to get more on board.
“We understand the government constraints, so all we are asking for is for persons to partner with us. We will come with some things, and we expect others to partner with us – Government and private sector.
“The SDF has always been very kind, and in the last couple of years, the Ministry of Education has been very supportive, and we are confident that Minister of Education Fayval Williams and Minister of Sports Olivia Grange will be helping us to lift the new thrust forward for the college,” Wilson added.
He also revealed that they would be instituting a new approach to coaching football and called on the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to give them more freedom to add the various coaching licences to their curriculum.
DIFFERENT APPROACH
“We will maintain what we have been doing over the years, especially producing coaches for track and field, but we are also targeting other sports such as football in order to bring a whole different approach.
“We do some of that (football coaching certification), but the JFF has to give us more autonomy. We do not want to get into their business. We just want to stick with education,” he insisted.
He added that they were also looking at some other traditional sports.
“We just want to move with the times and continue to improve on what we have been doing. We think we have been doing a great job based on the circumstances, and we are confident that it will only get better,” he said.
Last Thursday, the school celebrated 42 years of existence and its contribution to Jamaican sports.
They also celebrated the achievements of the man after whom the college was named.
“He was involved as an official in the 1948 Olympics team and personally coached Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley.
“He introduced new techniques to coaching and was way ahead of his time in things like sports massage and nutrition. So we wanted people to recognise all he has done for coaching,” Wilson said.