- August, 25 2010 -
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DIGICEL KICK START CLINICS FOOTBALLERS ENJOY VIP TREATMENT AT SUNDERLAND AFC’S
SECOND ROUND CARLING CUP MATCH IN THE STADIUM OF LIGHT
Wednesday, August 25th 2010 – Sunderland, England: Eight young footballers from the Caribbean and Central America – who were selected by England and Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, from the Digicel Kick Start Clinics 2010 – last night got the chance to watch Sunderland AFC beat Colchester 2-0 in the second round of the Carling Cup at Sunderland’s Academy of Light.
The aspiring young footballers – who will spend one week working with some of the best coaches in the Barclay’s Premier League at Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light – took their place in the ‘Black Cats’ seats last night – an area reserved for VIPs and die-hard fans.
The boys – who arrived in Sunderland on Saturday – completed their third day of training today which kicked off with some passing and dribbling with members of the Academy’s under 16 team. The group also got the chance to discuss the qualities the Academy looks for in its players such as teamwork, attitude and determination.
Digicel Group Head of Sponsorship, Karl Donnelly, said; “This is the third day of training and I am very excited about what I have seen. There is real talent among the group and the coaching sessions are definitely helping to improve the boys’ skills.
“The boys are also spending time with the under 16 Academy players which will help them gain an understanding of the other qualities that are required to make it at a professional level in football. Having the talent is necessary, but so too are teamwork, discipline and hard work – and it’s great that the boys are seeing this first hand.”
Today the boys took a tour of the Stadium of Light’s world class amenities – including the first team’s dressing rooms, the hospitality area, the gym, the treatment rooms and hydro-therapy pool area, as well as the pitch itself which is one of the best in England. A delegation from FIFA was also at the Stadium this morning evaluating England's bid for the 2018 World Cup so the Digicel Kick Start Clinics winners are in good company.
Winner of the Honduras leg of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics, 15 year-old Julio Oliva, said; “We have been very lucky so far in that we have had some great training sessions with the coaches which are helping us to improve our game. Last night was an amazing experience – to watch a premiership team play on their home ground was something I’ve always dreamt of.
“Meeting with the under 16 Academy players was also great. We got to speak about their training schedule, what the coaches are looking for and what it takes to play at a professional level,” he continued.
Matthew Woo Ling from Trinidad & Tobago; Vidal Gonzalez and Fernando Meneses from Panama; Jose Villavicencio, Bryan Landaverde and Alvaro Lizama from El Salvador; and Julio Oliva and German Mejia from Honduras were the eight most talented footballers selected by John Barnes from the Digicel Kick Start Clinics.
The Digicel Kick Start Clinics are supported by Jack Warner, Vice President of FIFA and President of both CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union.
The Clinics – which kicked off on July 20th in Trinidad & Tobago, before moving on to Panama, El Salvador and Honduras – saw 150 talented young footballers receive expert coaching in the beautiful game.
Digicel has been involved in a wide range of football initiatives designed to support the development of football in the Caribbean and Central America over the last six years. Digicel, which has operations in 32 countries worldwide, sponsors 17 Football Federations and Leagues, as well as the Digicel Caribbean Cup and the Copa de Naciones Digicel in Central America.
For more information, visit www.digicelfootball.com
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ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
After nine years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 10.8 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services and state-of-the-art handsets. By offering innovative wireless services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the 32 markets it operates in, placing these regions at the cutting-edge of wireless communications.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its Caribbean, Central American and Pacific markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Championships and the Copa de Naciones Digicel, which are the Caribbean and Central American qualifiers to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. And in the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams including the Digicel Fiji 7s, Digicel Tonga Ikale Tahi 7s and 15s and the Digicel Vanuatu 7s and 15s. Digicel also sponsors the Vanuatu Cricket team.
In 2004, Digicel developed an American Idol-type talent show in the Caribbean – Digicel Rising Stars – to support aspiring young music artists. The annual talent show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago, ranking as one of the top-rated shows in each market.
Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information on Digicel.
