Connect with us

Soccer

AWA ACCEPTS MASAKADA HEAD POSITION

Ross Awa is new Guam Women’s National Soccer head coach

PRESS RELEASE – Creating an efficient system aimed at talent identification and maximizing technology to raise performance standards for players and coaches will be key in a new technical plan for the success of the Guam Women’s National Program under Ross Awa, new Head Coach of the Masakåda, Guam Women’s National Team, and Director of the Women’s Program.

Awa, who also is Guam Football Association’s Assistant Technical Director, officially accepted the new role in mid-June with a start date in late July. Awa officially began field and gym training sessions for players in Guam Aug. 1.

“Ross, also a product of Guam’s national program in his youth days, has the technical background, experience, networking, and passion to move Guam forward in football development, especially with the women’s game,” said Valentino San Gil, GFA President. “He has experience in almost all areas of the game in Guam – coaching, team management, and administration – that prepared him for this important role. I look forward to tracking his progress, as well as the overall progress of the Women’s National Program.”

Ross Awa, newly appointed Head Coach of the Masakåda, Guam Women’s National Team, explains the concept of a passing activity during a recent Women’s National Team training session at the Guam Football Association National Training Center. Awa accepted his new role with the Guam Women’s National Program in mid-June and started the last week of July. He held his first session with the training squad Aug. 1.

A combination of players’ overall skills and abilities with technology available to aid in upping fitness standards and tactical knowledge of the game are essential in Awa’s new technical plan with his technical staff and GFA’s High Performance Team. Talent identification will begin with youth national players, who will be supported through Guam’s elite player pathway to the Masakåda.

“Firstly, I would like to establish a supportive environment that will develop women’s football in Guam by enhancing the level of coaches and players in our youth national teams to increase Guam’s homegrown player pool; prepared youth national team players are more likely to be valuable to the Masakåda,” Awa said. “Secondly, it will be our goal to raise the standard of football within our local competitions to produce top-quality and consistent players within our National Team Program.

“Particularly for the Masakåda, I will be integrating newly identified players from abroad with
selected players from the Premier Division (of the Bud Light Women’s Soccer League) for
upcoming campaigns to improve our ranking,” Awa added.

Off the pitch, Awa continues to build on the program’s new technical plan, which includes planning for domestic field and gym training sessions, training camps, friendly matches against club or other national teams, and individual player assessments and periodization plans for optimal performance during major competitions, among others.

“My technical staff and high performance team will be working diligently to establish a sustainable program, as we improve our players’ football actions in competitions,” Awa said. “We will be collecting and analyzing quite a bit of physical data which will be important for the demands to carry out our technical plan.”

GFA currently utilizes the Fitogether EPTS system, which monitors and generates football fitness-related data, including heart rate monitoring, kilometers covered on the pitch, and running pace and distance data, among others. Other fitness tools include DashR sprint assessment device, as well as weights and machines for strength, conditioning, and recovery, in GFA’s Fitness Center utilized under the supervision of GFA’s High Performance Team of Pavel Gubenko and Koharu Minato. GFA also utilizes Spiideo Portable SmartCam equipment and Spiideo Perform, a highly-regarded sport video recording and analysis software based in Sweden. A.I. technology in Spiideo’s system provides the ability to view different parts of the pitch on demand, while providing analysis tools for coaches. Quick presentations can be made through the software to include individual and team pass data, field coverage and distance, and position-based match highlights, among other data. All these elements are crucial to establishing Guam’s style of football, and how to assert this style for results in tournaments.

For individual players, this data can be used to increase opportunities to get into intercollegiate
women’s soccer programs or in leagues abroad. GFA currently utilizes NCSA and Hudl available
to Guam’s youth national players, as well as players in youth leagues through its AHEAD (Assistance for Higher Education and Development) program.

“It is an honor and privilege to return back to the Women’s Program in this different capacity,”
Awa said. “I have belief in the team we have to establish a style of football that we will be
known for.

Awa is a former Guam Youth National Team player and goalkeeper. He was the former Head
Coach of the Guam U20 Women’s National Team in 2021, while also filling in Assistant Coach
and Goalkeeper Coach roles with various youth national teams.

Ad

GPS Sports Calendar

October

November 2024

December
SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
Events for October

1st

Events for November

2nd

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Events for November

2nd

No Events
Events for November

4th

Events for November

5th

Events for November

6th

Events for November

7th

Events for November

8th

Events for November

9th

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Events for November

10th

Events for November

11th

Events for November

12th

Events for November

13th

Events for November

14th

Events for November

15th

Events for November

16th

17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Events for November

16th

No Events
Events for November

18th

Events for November

19th

Events for November

20th

Events for November

21st

Events for November

22nd

Events for November

23rd

24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Events for November

23rd

No Events
Events for November

25th

Events for November

26th

Events for November

27th

Events for November

27th

No Events
Events for November

29th

Events for November

30th

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

COMING SOON …

Lots of 2nd Quarter Sports

Guam vs. Japan men’s basketball November 24

QUICK HITS

The Fall PONY Bronco youth baseball league 12U came to an end with the Rangers going 7-0, defeating the Buckaroos 13-3 in the championship game.
——————————————————
The Oceanview Knights defended their ISA Boys Middle School Soccer Championship, beating the Untalan Wild Cats 5-1 for the title. Stephen Rioja scored two goals.

More in Soccer