Commission appointment about giving voice to coaches - Riley

Jamaican coach David Riley’s appointment to the World Coaches’ Commission was not a lone achievement the veteran has said.

The Excelsior, national coach, and founder of Technique Lab Sports Performance and Fitness Centre, on Monday, told The Gleaner that his appointment, which has come in for praise from the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), should be a matter of course for Jamaican administrators given how well the country's athletes do on the world stage.

“The performances of the Jamaican athletes are not just an activity but a cultural representation of the country and its people,” he said.

“And so we've always been saying that we don't have as many Jamaicans involved in positions and influence within the sport. And this certainly is one way in which we can continue to be there when the decisions are being discussed, and made. So that we are influencing and balancing as well,” he told The Gleaner.

While Riley sees the appointment as a matter of course for a country steeped in high-level track and field, JAAA president Garth Gayle, in a release, welcomed the appointment and expressed pride in the accomplishment.

“Coach David Riley’s appointment to the World Athletics Coaches’ Commission is a proud moment for Jamaica,” he said.

Gayle also indicated that the quality of Jamaica’s coaches over the years has also been recognised in the appointment.

“It underscores the high regard in which Jamaican coaches are held globally and affirms the depth of expertise that exists within our local coaching fraternity,” said Gayle.

Having said that, Gayle made sure to point out the individual work Riley has put into coaching and how that would have put him on a path to achieving the position.

“His selection reflects his outstanding contribution to athletics coaching, coach education, and athlete development, both locally and internationally. His inclusion on the commission represents a further elevation of Jamaica’s voice and influence within global athletics governance, particularly in shaping coaching policy, standards, and athlete development frameworks at the international level.”

JAAA said his presence on the commission “will ensure that Jamaica’s perspectives and best practices meaningfully contribute to the advancement of global coaching and athlete development.”

Riley is now a member of a 14-man council, chosen from a field of 38 recommended by their respective associations for the position. He applied for the position through the JAAA, and was recommended by the local governing body.

According to Riley, the commission is advisory in nature and while not a decision-making body, it is integral to the development of the sport.

“So the coaches commission is really just to provide some advice to [World Athletics] Council based on issues related to coaches, the development of the sport and the direction that they're going and having the coaches' voices in terms of all those ideas and how they will pan out in a practical way,” he explained.

He said even good ideas, if not vetted properly, may become problematic.

“Practically it's just not going to work. So it's really just to make sure the coaches' voices are included in those matters. Getting the expertise to have some impact on what they do in terms of the direction of the sport. So it has no authority. It’s an advisory body,” he explained.

He told the Gleaner that the entire process began earlier this year, with the vetting process lasting approximately five months.

Riley is a World Athletics Level III Elite Coach in sprints and hurdles and holds degrees from Northeastern University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

He is the technical director of track and field at both Excelsior High School and Excelsior Community College where he is leading a team of coaches to rebuild the track and field programme there. He also coached at Wolmer’s Boys’ School from 2003 to 2012, coaching them to thee Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships title in 2010, the 100th year anniversary of the competition.

He served as national senior track and field coach for teams to the World Athletics Championships, Doha 2019, London 2017, Pan Am Games, and CAC Games and has also served as head coach to Carifta Games, Youth Olympics 2010 and 2018, and the World University Games.