Vurlon Mills, founder and lead instructor of the Vurlon Mills Football Academy (VMFA), has endorsed and praised the involvement of parents for their contribution in the development of players who operate under the umbrella of the entity.
This was stated yesterday during a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport. According to Mills, “Among the tactical and lifestyle benefits for participating in the Vurlon Mills Academy, we have also recognised the inclusion and involvement of parents. It is something that we have openly embraced, because we believe that parents’ involvement in the process significantly enhances the child’s performance and have definitely been a delight to the program.”
The former Golden Jaguar international, who also holds the portfolio of Technical Development of Officer (TDO) at the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), further opined, “It is something that we want to encourage, it is something that we believe should be replicated in many sports across the country. We do know that there are quite a few sports [that] this is not strange to but we do know that in football we would like to see it replicated and increased in terms of the amount of parents coming out.”
The VMFA programme, which caters for players between the ages of 3-18, has been in existence for over three years following its birth in February 2018. It currently operates out of the St. Stanislaus College ground on Carifesta Avenue.
Mills declared that the academy provides an avenue for the involvement of the entire family in witnessing the development of their respective children, adding, “The Vurlon Mills academy is an opportunity not only for the involvement of a child but the involvement of a family. It is the opportunity to see families come together, to see family support their child or children in sport development not only in the provision of equipment or material but also in their physical presence.”
He further stated that parental involvement in the sporting development of children should be encouraged, noting that it’s a necessity in the advancement of the talents in any genre or discipline.
“We have seen the delight on every child’s face to see their parents there supporting them and it’s overwhelming too for parents to see their children succeed. So we certainly want to encourage this, we believe it’s a necessity in the development of every athlete. We certainly do know it’s significant in the development of footballers in Guyana”, he posited.
Mills, 33, made his senior debut against the Soca Warriors of Trinidad and Tobago in 2010 and has represented Guyana in several FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, as well as Caribbean and Gold Cup Qualifiers during his playing career which spanned 33 caps. The former San Juan Jabloteh player recorded 14 goals in Guyanese colours. His final match occurred in 2019 against the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica.
