- October, 03 2011 -
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- England & Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, will spend three days coaching 30 aspiring young footballers from across St. Kitts and Nevis for a place in the Digicel Academy
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (October 1st, 2011) – Digicel today officially kicked off the fourth leg of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics 2011 at a press conference featuring Head Coach and England and Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, at the St Kitts & Nevis Football Association’s (SKNFA) Football House in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
During the press conference, John Barnes revealed plans for the three day coaching clinic in which close to 30 aspiring young Kittitian and Nevisian footballers will be coached in the ‘beautiful game’.
Following the three day Clinic, Barnes will then select the top four players who will win a place in the Digicel Academy, a week-long elite training camp in Trinidad under the leadership of top Barclays Premier League coaches from the Sunderland Academy, assisted by John Barnes.
Digicel Kick Start Clinics Head Coach, John Barnes, said; “I am really delighted to be back in St Kitts for another year as Head Coach of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics. In the audience, I can identify two graduates from the last Digicel Kick Start Clinics who I am confident can testify that the programme has been beneficial to their development of their skills and love of football. The DKSC programme is a fantastic grass roots initiative, which over the past years have seen some fantastic talent come through – especially in St. Kitts where the pool of talent is deep. These types of initiatives are extremely important as they go towards producing home grown players who are good enough to cut it at the top level.”
Over the past two weeks, male high school students under the age of 16 from across St. Kitts and Nevis - combined with National U16 Football Team - trained rigorously each day to secure one of the 30 spots in the Clinic. The training was facilitated by coaches in the SKNFA, including Lennie Lake and Jeffery Hazel.
The players selected to go through to the elite Digicel Academy will spend a week developing their skills and technical ability as well as learning valuable life skills such as personal discipline and commitment – all through positive reinforcement, fostering an appreciation of soccer's intrinsic values.
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.
The Digicel Kick Start Clinics programme officially kicked off on Sunday 18th September in Haiti before travelling on to Panama, New York, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, Suriname, Jamaica and Trinidad and culminating in a week long training session at the Digicel Academy (also in Trinidad) from Tuesday November 1st to Monday November 7th.
For more information, visit www.digicelfootball.com
ENDS
THE ROAD TO THE ACADEMY TIMELINE
| Country | John Barnes Clinic Dates |
| Haiti | Sunday 18th – Thursday 22nd September |
| Panama | Friday 23rd – Monday 26th September |
| New York | Tuesday 27th – Friday 30th September |
| St. Kitts & Nevis | Saturday 1st – Tuesday 4th October |
| Grenada | Wednesday 5th – Saturday 8th October |
| Suriname | Sunday 9th – Wednesday 12th October |
| Jamaica | Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th October |
| Trinidad | The Digicel Academy – Tuesday 1st – Monday 7th November |
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.
