No more amateurs

IN A recent move by the David Riley-led Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association (JATAFCA), in partnership with the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association(JAAA), track and field coaches will soon have to be licensed.

Effective January 1, 2025, track and field coaches will be issued with a two-year licence to practise as a coach. These licences will be issued under the joint leadership of JATAFCA and the JAAA.

The move was made at a recent meeting hosted by JATAFCA.

Under the watch of JAAA president, Garth Gayle, Ralph Mouchbahani, of World Athletics Coaching Education, outlined the new structure of the Coaches of Education and Certification System.

The move is to further conform to the changes implemented by World Athletics where coaches’ certification expires every two years.

“All certifications of World Athletics are not valid for a lifetime anymore. That means they will need to be renewed after two years, in order to maintain their validity,” said Mouchbahani.

Under the new system, coaches will have to be engaged in ‘continuous education’ and submit evidence of completion after attending workshops and seminars hosted by World Athletics, JADCO, JAAA, Jamaica Association of Sports Medicine, Ministry of Sport, and INSPORTS.

In January of 2026, a police record will be required to renew licences.

While new coaches will have to do one of the various World Athletics courses to be certified and then apply for a licence through JATAFCA, it will be different for coaches with previous IAAF or World Athletics certification. These coaches will have to do the Safeguarding course then pay a licensing fee to bring them under the new system.

Riley, who recently completed his World Athletics Level 2 Certification Lecturer course, along with veteran instructor, Roy Thomas, will spearhead the roll-out of the new system.