Is the remuneration for coaches of Song Lam Nghe An youth teams satisfactory?

The thoughts of the people involved

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 hold the record for the number of championships at the National U11, U13, and U17 football tournaments. In addition, U15, U19 or U21 Song Lam Nghe An have also left strong marks in the domestic tournament. Having achieved the above achievements, it is impossible not to mention the diligent contributions of generations of coaches at the youth football training center in Nghe An.

However, currently faced with the worry of “money and food”, a number of coaches at Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center said goodbye to their hometown team. Among them, Mr. Le Manh Hung and Mr. Ngo Quang Truong are the latest coaches to apply for resignation at Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center, to look for a new job for the rest of their career. Karma.

Mr. Le Manh Hung is the coach in charge of training young goalkeepers at Song Lam Nghe An training facility. Up to now, Mr. Hung has owned a huge collection of titles. Especially with his dedicated contributions to the youth team levels of Song Lam Nghe An, this coach born in 1983 has 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 particular, the main reason for this departure comes from Song Lam Nghe An’s remuneration level, which does not meet 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 also felt sad and tormented. However, because I am the family’s breadwinner, I had to put aside my passion for the profession to find a new job with a higher income. Initially, I orientated my 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 – also decided to part with Nghe An’s youth football training center to join a young but potential team. is Bac Ninh Club. The new team is hundreds of kilometers away from his family, but in return, former head coach Song Lam Nghe An will have better conditions to fully develop his talent. In particular, Mr. Truong will receive remuneration commensurate with his actual abilities.

The departure of these two coaches partly speaks to the difficulties that the youth football training center in Nghe An is facing. On the other hand, those who stay are also in a state of psychological turmoil, having to struggle with limited salaries. Modest salaries are causing many coaches at the Nghe An football training center to gradually reduce their dedication to the “transfer” job.

Mr. Tran Quang Dung – Deputy Director of Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center, shared: “Football is a unique sport in which coaches want to train good players and bring To be successful, a team needs to put in a lot of dedication, time and effort. Therefore, we hope that Nghe An province will have appropriate policies to encourage coaches to contribute with peace of mind, 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 contributions, the Department of Culture and Sports has submitted a draft proposal to amend a number of articles in Resolution No. 11/2021/ Resolution-People’s Council of the Provincial People’s Council.

Accordingly, the benefits coaches enjoy are in Decree No. 152/2018/ND-CP dated November 7, 2018 of the Government stipulating a number of benefits for coaches and athletes during the period. Training and competition time, financial support: For head coach 10,000,000 VND/person/month; assistant coach 8,000,000 VND/person/month.

Compared to the salary that coaches previously received, this remuneration regime has been raised to be quite consistent with current actual conditions. The Department of Culture and Sports is currently proposing to increase the income of coaches at Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center to approximately 19 million VND/month.

However, the Draft proposing to amend a number of articles in Resolution No. 11/2021/NQ-HDND has faced opposition from some departments and branches when only agreeing to an income of 15 million VND/person/month. for the coach.

I think that football is a unique subject that requires each coach to combine many factors in order to train a good player and bring good results to the province’s football. Especially as 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 status is predictable.

And it also needs to be added that, in Nghe An, football is considered a bridge, contributing to creating the strength of solidarity within each person. For decades, Nghe people have always considered their hometown football team a source of pride and indispensable spiritual value. Therefore, policymakers need to take a deeper, more distant look at football, including focusing on ensuring the lives of coaches…