By Neto Baptiste
Seven young footballers from the Soccer Academy have been confirmed as part of a contingent that will travel to the UK at the end of July for a one-month stint with the FCV International Football Academy.
Ivan Grant (defender), Kamari Hewlett (defender), Jaiden Wray (midfielder), Michael Peters (striker/midfielder), Teeray Layne (goalkeeper), Terrelle Duberry (defender) and Keyondre Hewlett (striker) were, on Monday, all confirmed by the club’s manager Wayne Hewlett to have been chosen for the important trip.
Hewlett outlined the conditions under which the players were selected.
“Attendance, coachability, behaviour, commitment, talent and a lot of it; we also had to actually look at our crop from before and make sure we were making the right decisions because some of these guys [players] only came around since the Second Division team, so we had to sift out from the older kids who were around the academy, like Keyondre and Kamari, and mix and blend,” he said.
FCV International Football Academy is listed as the UK’s first private football academy, providing academic football courses for aspiring footballers aged 14 and 21.
Keondre Hewlett, who spent time in the UK system last year, explained how the experience helped to improve his overall approach to the game.
“It was a good experience because I learnt plenty about my position and about self-improvement and learning to do the right thing, so it’s not about learning about football only because I learn about myself more. If you don’t have patience while playing football and staying focused then you are not going to reach anywhere, and you must have a passion for football. When I went to England last year, the passion for football went very high and I focused more on football and wanted to learn more about football,” the player said.
The Soccer Academy has been on an intense fundraising drive to gather the EC$50,000 needed to fund the trip for five players. Two other players had their trip funded by their parents.
Defender, Ivan Grant, thanked the club for the opportunity, adding he is looking forward to the experience.
“First of all, I want to say thanks to uncle Wayne for the opportunity and for believing in me. Coach Lenny Hewlett as well and Joey Christopher who is our coach [at Soccer Academy], but I plan to go out there and to do my best to make them proud and to improve myself as well, and to sharpen my skills,” he said.
Wayne Hewlett and coach Lenny Hewlett will accompany the players on the one-month stint.
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