Three aspiring footballers will soon receive the chance of a lifetime when they begin training with three coaches from top English Premier League team Chelsea FC.
The top three players will be selected out of 30 footballers between the ages of 14 and 16 who will represent Dominica at the week-long Digicel Academy in Barbados.
There they will receive intensive training under coaches from the Chelsea Football Club Foundation.
Speaking at the launching of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics on Friday morning, the company’s Dominica Marketing Manager Nathalie Walsh said that the clinics provide young footballers with the opportunity to showcase their talent and benefit from world Class training.
“After eight years of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics being held in the region, we are thrilled that Dominica’s aspiring young footballers will now have the chance to showcase their talent and benefit from world-class training administered by coaches from the Chelsea FC Foundation,” she said.
The Chelsea FC trainers will also host 30 coaches from across the island on Saturday.
Digicel Group Sponsorship manager, Marilyn Allen, stated, “Dominica’s top youth coaches will be taken through the very latest in training and coaching techniques as used by Chelsea FC youth teams and therefore reaching many more people. At Digicel we are committed to helping young people to achieve success and reap the long term benefits of their hard work by giving them a platform to realize their true potential and nurture their talents with the necessary training and development opportunities.”
In the meantime, International Technical Support Officer of Chelsea FC, Steven Winnet, pointed out that his team is looking forward to working with the young people and coaches.
“This is the 8th year that the Digicel Kickstart Academy has been running and the Chelsea philosophy is now in full effect,” he said. “Last year there were 39 individuals and they went to Barbados and had a great story to tell and we hope that this would be the same for your children. We are looking for three individuals and we are looking for three main objectives and aspects in them for them to be picked, they are; player versatility and technical ability, they must work hard as individuals and showing good attitude, must be able to become an ambassador for their country.”
Winnet noted further that all the sessions have been designed fairly and will allow each individual to be successful and express themselves.
President of the Digicel Kick Start Academy, Don Leogal, added that it is his hope that Dominica becomes a permanent fixture in the Chelsea Program.
The 30 players selected to participate in the program are from the Wayne George football academy, Digicel Newtown Juvenile Football Academy, Portsmouth Football Academy, and other small academies, and the secondary schools.
This is the first time that the Digicel Kick Start Academy has been launched in Dominica.
This is a great opportunity for the young players in Dominica & the Carribbean as a whole. We are being left behind by our African brothers in our developement in the sport, and FIFA have not made it any easier for Carribean nations to qualify. Boys, work hard to be one of the chosen 3, it will be tough, competition fierce, but the prize can be great not only for you as an individual but the island as a whole.
so the blues offering training through a red company, football irony
Behave!!
Lets hope this does not include any members of the dominica football association looking for a free trip .
This is amazing news… MOTHER PLEASE ENCOURAGE THESE KIDS TO BE GOOD!!!!… to be GREAT in fact… don’t let them believe that they can’t have a future in their fav thing… let them know that they can be on top no matter what they choose.
Don’t let them think that this is just, “a hobby” this a really good opportunity now CEASE IT!!
zeal without knowledge.
seize it 
not cease it
This is Great! Give our athletes world class training. Its a pity we cannot do the same for our coaches who cannot seem to prioritize and get their teams prepared to travel and play overseas.
The Bush Man speaks no evil.