Filipinos probably did not think
much about the country’s chances of becoming internationally-known for association
football or soccer. That was until the Men’s National Team beat Vietnam to reach
semis at the 2010 AFF Championship. The team, nicknamed “Azkals,” became instant
celebrities as they kept kicking above their weight in subsequent tournaments. It
also helped perhaps that some of the players were heartthrobs like the British-Filipino
Younghusband brothers, Phil and James. James has decided to retire from
football since last June after his plans to play one last season on the PFL for
Ceres Negros fell through after the league was postponed due to COVID-19.
But as CNN Philippines would have it, just because he is no longer playing
soccer does not mean that James Younghusband is turning away completely from
the sport that defined him to many Filipino sports fans. Last week on Friday, July
3, Younghsuband was interviewed on the cable news network where he revealed
that he and his brother Phil have thought seriously on the prospect of transitioning
into coaching football after their playing days were over. The younger
Younghusband brother, Phil was the first to announce his retirement last year.
James remarked in interview that
he and Phil have dreamt of becoming coaches in addition to playing soccer adding,
“We would even ask our dad if we can invest in an artificial facility in our
back garden.” To prepare himself for such a career, James is considering returning
to his father’s homeland in the UK, to study coaching rudiments as well as the
football culture of that country as well as the US. He then plans to return to
the Philippines to teach what he has learned from the game and from his coaching
studies.
And as James Younghusband had
helped bring Filipino soccer excellence to the world stage as an Azkals player,
so too does he plan to perhaps one day coach the youth squad of the national
team as he settles into his new career as a sports coach. This is in line with
James’ view that starting the development of soccer excellence with young
players and then working with them as they grow up is the optimal way to
nurture successful footballers. He should know; in the 13 years that
Younghusband has been part of the Azkals he has played 102 matches and scored
12 points overall.
0 comments:
Post a Comment