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National U-17s to benefit from Spanish coaching

Published:Thursday | April 7, 2011 | 12:00 AM
From left: Technical director of the Next Generation Pro Baller Camp, Andre Virtue; Scotiabank's vice-president marketing, public and corporate affairs, Monique Todd; Spanish Ambassador María Celsa Nuño Garcia; managing director, Taino Trade and Investment Limited, Victor Salazar-Chang; Claro Public Relations Officer Kerry Moxam; and president of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell, are all smiles as they pose with the cheques for $2.5m each from the title sponsors, during Tuesday's press launch at the Spanish Court Hotel, New Kingston. - Gladstone Taylor/Photographer

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's national under-17 football team, which qualified for this summer's World Cup to be held in Mexico, will be the beneficiary of top class coaching as they will participate in the Next Generation Valencia Pro Baller Camp, to be held over five days at Sabina Park.

This camp, which is in its second year, sees coaches from Spanish giants Valencia CF visit the island and conduct coaching sessions with a wide cross section of youngsters and a number of local coaches.

At the end of the camp, which will run from April 16-20, the top three campers will be selected to journey to Spain for a one-week training session at the Valencia Football Academy. This year, a coach will also be chosen to travel to Spain.

In addition to the five days of coaching, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Captain Horace Burrell, is hoping to have the youngsters jet off to Spain for a 21/2-week camp before the World Cup.

"We believe that sending our youngsters to Spain in an environment where they will be living together and training together in a professional environment will certainly impact positively on their ability to perform," Burrell highlighted, while speaking at the press conference on Tuesday at the Spanish Court Hotel, while the camp was launched. "I am just imagining these players in Spain and then going on to Mexico to the World Cup Finals; that would be superb.

"So we are hopeful that both Government and private sector will give these players the opportunity by providing the funding," he added, while pointing out that US$70,000 is required to make the dream a reality.

space allocation

This year's camp will feature 35 coaches and 180 players. Eighty-five spaces will be sold at $15,000 each to the general public, 40 spaces will be given to the title sponsors, Claro and ScotiaBank, 30 spaces will be given to the national under-17 squad, 20 spaces will be allotted to goalkeepers and five spaces will be granted to the JFF girls team.

In addition to one of the coaches being selected to journey to Spain to participate in the Valencia Academy, there are other new features of the camp.

"We are going younger; so we are adding a 7-11 age group," the camp's technical director, Andre Virtue, disclosed. "We will be looking at the problem areas for us - the attacking and finishing - these are areas we have to focus on.

"This year, we are also making our local coaches hands-on, so they will be there from 8:30 (a.m.) to 5:30 (p.m.) observing what is happening and be able to ask the Valencia coaches about what they see," he added.