Is the treatment of coaches of Song Lam Nghe An youth teams satisfactory?
(Baonghean.vn) - Due to not being able to ensure their living expenses, some football coaches at SLNA youth football training center have said goodbye. And in order for Song Lam Nghe An not to face the risk of "bleeding" talented coaches, it is necessary to have specific policies to retain them.
Insider's thoughts
Song Lam Nghe An is one of the clubs with a long tradition in youth training. Up to now, the U11, U13, U17 Song Lam Nghe An teams are holding the record for the number of championships at the National U11, U13, U17 football tournaments. In addition, U15, U19 or U21 Song Lam Nghe An have also left strong impressions at the domestic tournament. To achieve the above achievements, it is impossible not to mention the tireless dedication of generations of coaches at the Nghe An youth football training center.
However, currently, facing the worry of “bread and butter”, some coaches at the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center have said goodbye to their hometown team. Among them, Mr. Le Manh Hung and Mr. Ngo Quang Truong are the latest coaches to submit their resignations from the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center, to find new jobs for the rest of their careers.
Mr. Le Manh Hung is the coach in charge of training young goalkeepers at the Song Lam Nghe An training center. Up to now, Mr. Hung has owned a huge collection of titles. Especially with his dedicated contributions to the youth teams of Song Lam Nghe An, this coach born in 1983 received Certificates of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee in 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022, 2023. However, in 2024, coach Le Manh Hung decided to say goodbye after nearly 20 years with Song Lam Nghe An Club. In which, the main reason for this departure is that the treatment of Song Lam Nghe An has not met the essential needs in daily life.
Coach Le Manh Hung shared: “After nearly 20 years of dedication to Song Lam Nghe An, when I had to make the decision to resign, I felt sad and remorseful. However, because I am the breadwinner of the family, I had to put aside my passion for the profession to find a new job with a higher income. Initially, I have oriented my upcoming future. With that job, I will be able to give my wife and children a more fulfilling life.”
As for coach Ngo Quang Truong - who has extensive experience as a coach at Song Lam Nghe An - he also decided to leave the Nghe An youth football training center to join the young but potential team Bac Ninh Club. At the new team, hundreds of kilometers away from his family, in return, the former head coach of Song Lam Nghe An will have better conditions to fully develop his talent. In particular, Mr. Truong will receive a salary commensurate with his actual ability.
The departure of these two coaches partly shows the difficulties that the Nghe An youth football training center is facing. On the other hand, those who remain are also in a state of psychological turmoil, struggling with limited salaries. The modest salaries are causing many coaches at the Nghe An youth football training center to gradually lose their dedication to the job of “ferrying the boat”.
Mr. Tran Quang Dung - Deputy Director of Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center, shared: "Football is a special sport, in which coaches who want to train good players and bring the team to success need to spend a lot of dedication, time and effort. Therefore, we hope that Nghe An province will have appropriate policies to encourage coaches to dedicate themselves, thereby helping the province's football develop further in the future."
Need appropriate policies
Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center currently has 25 coaches training more than 200 athletes in 9 classes according to age. The coaches at this center are being paid salaries and benefits through the budget of Nghe An province.
With the desire to help coaches at Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center feel secure in their dedication, the Department of Culture and Sports has submitted a draft proposal to amend a number of articles in Resolution No. 11/2021/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council.
Accordingly, the benefits that coaches enjoy in Decree No. 152/2018/ND-CP dated November 7, 2018 of the Government stipulates a number of benefits for coaches and athletes during training and competition periods, with financial support: For head coaches, 10,000,000 VND/person/month; assistant coaches, 8,000,000 VND/person/month.
Compared to the salary that coaches received before, this treatment has been raised quite appropriately to the current actual conditions. The Department of Culture and Sports is currently submitting a proposal to increase the income for coaches at the Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center to approximately 19 million VND/month.
However, the Draft proposal to amend a number of articles in Resolution No. 11/2021/NQ-HDND has faced opposition from a number of departments and branches when it only agreed to an income of 15 million VND/person/month for coaches.
I think, football is a special sport that requires each coach to have many factors to train a good player, bringing good results for the province's football. Especially when the market economy is increasingly developing, Nghe An football is facing fierce competition from many potential youth football training centers in the country. If Nghe An province does not promptly introduce appropriate policies to retain coaches, the loss of youth football's position is predictable.
It is also necessary to add that in Nghe An, football is considered a bridge, contributing to creating solidarity among each citizen. For many decades, Nghe An people have always considered their hometown football team as a source of pride and an indispensable spiritual value. Therefore, policy makers need to have a deeper and further view of football, in which they need to focus on ensuring the livelihood of coaches...
