Former Golden Jaguars captain and emerging coach Christopher Nurse, says that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected the overall development and growth of emerging players.
This was disclosed during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport Saturday.
“Being involved in elite level coaching I am witnessing first-hand the depleted levels of fitness in players and the inability to recover in the same manner they could from intense training prior to Covid,” said the 36-year-old Nurse.
“The technique and development of players has also regressed after 5/6 months without actively playing and competing,” he added.
Nurse opined that while the pandemic has affected every player differently, physical and psychological issues have been the most common impediments for players during this period.
“How the pandemic has impacted individuals varies, for many it impacted them psychologically, some physically and for many it impacted them in both aspects and as athletes these are two of our most vital resources, the mind and the body,” he declared.
However, Nurse revealed that the current climate provides an ideal platform for the transformation of local structures ahead of the eventual resumption of the discipline. He said that plans and strategies can be formulated to the benefit of the local contingent as a means for international and localized preparation.
He elaborated, “However, this standstill provides a great opportunity to plan and prepare for a monumental transformation once the restrictions are lifted. This can be used to implement plans for a strategic approach to kick start the domestic league to prepare players locally for the highest level of the game domestically and internationally.”
According to Nurse, who represented the Golden Jaguars from 2011-2017, the cancellation and subsequent rescheduling of the international qualifiers to 2021 is a major setback for the region.
He added, “It’s not just a setback for Guyana it is a setback for the game and the region in general. The pandemic has had a physical effect on the human body of many athletes as it has impacted the respiratory system negatively in ways, they have not yet been able to quantitatively measure.”
Nurse added that while the resumption of football was not the priority locally nor of the region, the start of the respective sports leagues in Europe and North America has illustrated an avenue as to how sports can eventually resume.
He said, “Guyana must take the surge in Covid -19 cases seriously. There is a methodical approach that will allow everyone to return to activity safely and sooner rather than later. Football right now is not a priority in the face of the public health crisis, however we have seen there is a way for sports to restart safely, but it requires significant resources preparation and planning.”
