Telecommunication giants Digicel has embarked on a grand initiative as they aim to deliver an even higher quality school football tournament by recruiting a large number of former national players and coaches who will be assigned to the various regions to help improve the level of the schools.
The tournament, which commenced in 2011, has been a huge success with over 100 schools from various regions participating in the annual event.
Retained specifically by Digicel, coach Orville Bobb and his assistant Kelvin Roberts have been conducting sessions at the Wales Community Centre for students from the Patentia, L’Aventure and La Retraite Secondary Schools.
“I’m quite satisfied with the attendance to date and this is despite the persistent rainfall which has left the ground waterlogged in some places and made it difficult to practice certain drills, while CXC is still ongoing and some of the players are taking extra lessons, but I must say that those two constraints have minimally affected the turnout,” said Bobb.
Bobb noted that the eagerness and willingness to learn by the players has translated to them showing up every day.
Questioned on the facets of the sport that was able to be conveyed, Bobb said that trapping, dribbling and retaining possession of the ball are the skills learnt so far by the players.
“This tournament, to my mind, is extremely important for the development of youth football, especially when you consider that within the next 3-4 years, more of them could be vying for a place on the national team.”
Regarding the tournament’s format, Roberts stated that is a favourable choice because it provides players with the opportunity and experience to compete against teams from different zones and locations in a partisan atmosphere.
It was further indicated by the duo that the standard of this year’s event will be higher than the previous edition due to the fact that many of the players that competed last year will be returning.
“I expect the level of skills that will be displayed this year will be much better and a lot of the players seem excited and committed to giving a better performance this time around,” Bobb mentioned.
Bobb noted that he is hoping that the weather improves during the week so that the players could benefit from the full allotment of sessions as the beginning of the tournament looms.
Sessions are being conducted twice weekly, but Roberts, who is in charge of coaching at the centre, also provides training for players desirous of attending sessions more that twice weekly.
Meanwhile, some of the coaches have been conducting sessions on the West and East Coasts of Demerara, while some have also been doing clinics outside of Demerara.
