Vin Blaine takes over as the Football Federation of Belize’s Director of Football 

Jamaica’s former national women’s football team coach Vin Blaine has been appointed Director of Football for the Football Federation of Belize. Blaine signed a two-year contract with FFB last week, with an option to renew. Blaine takes over the Director of Football post previously held by Phillip Marin. Marin has since been appointed to another position within the federation and is currently in Barbados. Blaine arrived in Belize last Wednesday as he begins his new role with the FFB. While he has worked in Belize before, President of FFB Sergio Chuc says his appointment is part of its effort to strengthen its technical leadership and bring additional regional experience to the development of football in Belize.

Sergio Chuc, President, Football Federation of Belize: “We thought in order to fill his shoe we needed somebody with a lot of experience and could hit the ground running so we got a seasoned technical director who has been around the Caribbean and who has been around football for many years and I’m happy to introduce Mr. Vin Blaine originally from Jamaica. He has a lot of experience in this field and that is exactly what we want. We have also hired a deputy who is extremely qualified. We actually had to pouch him from an academy in Taiwan where he has been residing for the last decade and a half. He holds advanced university education in both academia and sports. He has a B License from WEFA specifically from Scotland. And he is coming to understudy Mr. Blaine so that down the road a Belizean will definitely once again hold the position. If he could fit in but we think with his background and the experience that Mr. Blaine brings, it is the perfect combination to move ahead.”

With Blaine now officially in the position, he will oversee the technical side of the federation’s football programmes, including national teams, coach education and player development. Love News spoke with Blaine on his vision and priorities for the new role.

Vin Blaine, New Director of Football, Football Federation of Belize: “To get the level of the game up and the level of the coaches and the standard of the coaches, you know, to be at a level that we can say they always say that better coaches, better players but not only that we wanted to understand the unity we need in the technical department to make sure we move ahead. I am confident that we can do that with the support to the president and the general secretary. I had a meeting yesterday, a two and a half hour meeting, with the technical staff. It’s the first thing I did really to see, to let them know their roles and responsibilities and what it needs from them and myself to get the program moving again. We have an under 15 boys’ World Cup festival that’s coming up in a few more weeks. I think that is something that we’ll give a lot of attention to. You know how we’re going to approach it. It’s the first of its kind, you know so we’re going to be creating history no matter what it looks like because we are the first team from Belize to be going to this type of tournament. FIFA changed that this year. So every year we’re going to have a World Cup festival for girls and boys. So it’s a lot of work that’s to be done. So the organization of a technical department is very important. I’m sure we have not had any problems with moving forward from me the president and the general secretary, we have their approval and their support. I come to do a job I have no hidden agenda you know so I’m gonna I already hit the ground running you know because I know what needs to be done. As long as the coaches that are here support me and the executive body supports me that’s my concern. I know most of the coaches here because they have come through my hands already in coaching courses so I walk out and everybody say Mr. Vin, Mr. Vin, so they know me I might not remember them but they know me so that makes me comfortable.”

Blaine’s appointment comes as the FFB prepares for a busy period of international football, with Belize’s senior team set to compete in the Concacaf Nations League in September. The Under-15 boys are also scheduled to travel to Azerbaijan in October for a World Cup youth festival, while the Under-16s will compete in a Central American Football Union tournament in El Salvador.