High praise for Hanover football academy

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Hanover Youth Academy, which was recently established by popular sports journalist, Craig Oates, has been hailed as a positive development and possibly the catalyst to take the parish's football to another level by Lucea Mayor Lloyd Hill.

"This is a positive development and I must publicly commend Mr Oates for this wonderful initiative," said Hill, while addressing Saturday's launch of the Hanover Football Association's (HFA) Captain's Bakery and Grill Major League. "As one who is still passionate about the game, this is a development I am happy to see and pleased to support."

The academy, which came into being two months ago, has attracted over 100 youngsters between the ages of seven and 17, who turn out on Saturday mornings to be coached the finer points of the game by guest instructors, which will later include the likes of national senior team head coach, Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, and former Wadadah FC coach, Howard Young.

"The idea is to introduce these youngsters to the game in a structured way so that they will have a proper foundation to build on," said Oates, a former Cornwall College daCosta Cup player, who was once a vice-president of the Hanover FA. "An academic component is involved as we will be monitoring the players to ensure that they not only go to school, but that they are performing (well) academically."

Presently, the academy is only functional in eastern Hanover from its base at the Sandy Bay Community Centre. However, that is poised to change soon as a wing of the academy is set to be established in western Hanover within two weeks at the Watson Taylor facility in Lucea.

Positive initiative

"We consider this a positive initiative and after discussions with Mr Oates, we have decided to establish a wing of the academy in western Hanover," said Sheridan Samuels, a vice-president of the Hanover FA. "Our intention is to duplicate what is happening in the east for the youngsters in the west."

Oates, who has been using both his own resources as well as funds generated through sponsorship, said he was most encouraged by the support the initiative has been getting from stakeholders in the parish to include parents of the youngsters involved.

"The overall support could not have been better and we are thrilled, especially by the support of the parents and the schools," said Oates. "We believe if we lay the right foundation for these youngsters, their chances of succeeding in the future will be greater."

Oates, who has previously served football in the west as a vice-president of the Hanover FA and vice-chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Western Confederation, has been a strident critic of the structure of youth football in western Jamaica.

The establishment of the academy is believed to be his answer to those who have taken objection to his criticisms.

"Football played a role in my development as a youngster," said Oates, who is a former Cornwall College daCosta Cup player. "I am happy that I have stepped forward in a positive way to help the current generation of youngsters."