- November, 04 2011 -
|
||||||
Friday, November 4th 2011 – Kingston, Jamaica: As the third day of the inaugural Digicel Academy comes to a close, Sunderland Academy coaches, Carlton Fairweather and Kevin Ball, spoke exclusively to www.digicelfootball.com about how the 37 aspiring young footballers from across the region are progressing so far and the importance of hard work.
“Caribbean players have a good sense of flair and we’ve seen some magical moments this week. But what we’re bringing – structure and discipline – is probably not as obvious. We don’t want to take the flair from the players – but we want to combine the two attributes and in the end produce players who are going to look to go on to the next level.
“In order to do that however, they must understand they have to work hard – they need to demonstrate greater intensity. For us, it’s all about attitude, hard work and desire – and those are the attributes these aspiring young players should be developing,” continued Fairweather.
How is the standard of football among the young footballers in the Digicel Academy?
“It is really good. Around the world, they would compete well with players their age. The only thing they need to work on is that self-discipline, the willingness to go that extra mile – not just for themselves but for their team. And if we can develop that, it can only be beneficial for football in the region as a whole.”
Any advice for coaches of young players?
“It’s important to try and find exercises for your specific players – that benefit them particularly. That means picking training exercises and making sure these young players understand why you’re doing it and that they see the benefit of it. Because the more they see the benefit of training, the more they will want to do it – and that’s when you will see an improvement – which is why we’re all here,” said Kevin Ball.
The Digicel Academy is a week-long elite training camp which takes place in Trinidad from November 1st to 7th under the leadership of top Barclays Premier League coaches, Kevin Ball and Carlton Fairweather, from the Sunderland Academy, assisted by John Barnes. The Digicel Academy will also host a ‘coach the coaches’ seminar in which coaches from across the region will get expert training from Sunderland AFC’s finest teachers.
For more information, visit www.digicelfootball.com
ENDS
ABOUT SUNDERLAND AFC
Formed in 1879, Sunderland AFC joined the English Football League in 1890.
Based in the football hotbed of the North East of England, the club has a rich and proud history stretching across many decades, most memorably lifting the top accolade in English Football, the FA Cup, in 1937 and 1973.
Also known as the Black Cats, Sunderland play their home matches at the 49,000 capacity Stadium of Light, moving from their former home of Roker Park in 1997.
In 2010-11 the club finished in the top ten of the Barclays Premier League and subsequently made 11 additions to its playing squad in the summer of 2011 - including Wes Brown and John O’Shea from Manchester United, Swedish international Sebastian Larsson, South Korean striker Ji Dong Won and England U21 rising star Connor Wickham.
SUNDERLAND AFC & DIGICEL
Sunderland AFC has partnered with Digicel in the hugely successful Kick Start Clinics since 2008, welcoming youngsters from the project to its training headquarters as well as sending senior coaching staff to the Caribbean to lead clinics.
Steve Bruce said: “Sunderland is proud to be associated with such a successful project and we are delighted that we can continue to share our club’s expertise and help to give youngsters across the Caribbean and Central America the opportunity to achieve their football dreams.”
ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
After ten years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11.5 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.
In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.
Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information.
