The much-anticipated Digicel Football Academy kicked off yesterday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados with a press conference to mark the official launch of the training camp where 32 aspiring young footballers will be trained by coaches from European and FA Cup Champions, Chelsea Football Club.
 
The Digicel Academy marks the culmination of the 2012 Digicel Kick Start Clinics and sees the crème de la crème of the region’s young footballing talent come together for the opportunity of a lifetime by spending one week being trained in the beautiful game under Chelsea coaches, David Monk, Robert Udberg and Olly Woodall. In addition, the Chelsea FC coaches will host a ‘coach the coaches’ session in which they will impart invaluable youth training tips to nine coaches from across the region.
 
For the 32 aspiring young footballers, the Digicel Academy is a dream come true following months of local try-outs followed by the Digicel Kick Start Clinics under the leadership of Liverpool and England footballing legend, John Barnes.
 
Chelsea International Football Development Officer and Academy Coach, David Monk, said; “For Chelsea, this is the first in our three year partnership with Digicel and we are very excited to be here. To the 32 boys from across the region, it’s a truly fantastic opportunity and, on behalf of my colleagues and I, we would like to wish you all the very best of luck this week. I encourage you all to listen, learn and enjoy your time at the Digicel Academy.”
 
Special guest at the press conference was President of the Caribbean Football Union, Gordon Derrick, who said; “In order to build a good football home, a strong foundation needs to be laid and Digicel is doing an excellent job in bringing young footballers from all over the region to take part in a world-class football programme that exposes them to an excellent product – not only for the players but also for the coaches who accompany them – and the quality is evident here at the Academy. It is good to see that in addition to giving the boys great football training, the coaches will also benefit from training sessions as well – which will help to improve the technical skills of those who impart valuable skills to the Caribbean’s young footballers.”
 
Digicel Group Director of Marketing Operations, Kieran Foley, said; “As part of our promise to develop football at the grassroots level, we are very proud to be here in Barbados for the fifth staging of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics programme. Over the last five years, we have continually grown and developed the programme to ensure we offer as many of the region’s aspiring young footballers this chance of a lifetime to be trained by some of the best youth development coaches in the world.”
 
He continues; “Since its launch, we have seen the immense positive impact of the Digicel Kick Start programme with both the coaches and the boys taking the knowledge gained during the programme back to their local clubs and passing it on to their peers and colleagues,” continued Foley.
 
Since 2004, Digicel has been involved in a wide range of football initiatives designed to support the development of football in the Caribbean and Central America. In addition to the Digicel Kick Start Clinics, Digicel sponsors 17 National Football Associations and Federations as well as the two main regional football qualification tournaments in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region.