- August, 27 2010 -
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DIGICEL KICK START CLINICS FOOTBALLERS ENJOY AN EVENING OUT WITH SUNDERLAND AFC’S PABLO DA SILVA AND CRISTIAN RIVEROS
Friday, August 27th 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 spend an evening with Sunderland AFC defender, Paula Da Silva, and midfielder, Cristian Riveros, following their fourth day of training at the Academy of Light.
The aspiring young footballers – who are spending one week training with some of the best coaches in the Barclays Premier League at Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light – last night enjoyed dinner with two of the first team players after an afternoon of matches against a football team from neighbouring Kent Academy.
Paraguayan skipper, Paulo Da Silva, said; “It was great to meet the boys and speak with them about their experience. Particularly for the boys from El Salvador, Honduras and Panama, who may have been finding it difficult this week with the language barrier.
“The Digicel Kick Start Clinics and the week of training at Sunderland AFC’s Academy are a wonderful opportunity for them and I can really see they are making the most of this experience. Myself and Cristian have also been giving them some advice on how to realise their dreams of playing football at a professional level when they return to their home countries.”
The boys – who began their training in Sunderland on Monday – played two successful games against the boys from Kent Academy in two categories of under 14s and under 13s. German Mejia, aged 15 from Honduras, scored one goal with Alvaro Lizama and Jose Villavicencio – both aged 15 and from El Salvador – scoring one goal and three goals respectively.
Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light Director, Ged McNamee, said; “The boys have gone from strength to strength since they arrived. They have adapted well to the coaching sessions and yesterday they really proved themselves when they played against Kent Academy.
“I think the experience they have gained at the Academy will stand the boys well in the future as they endeavour to achieve success on a professional level.”
Winner of the El Salvador leg of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics, 15 year-old Jose Villavicencio, said; “Having the chance to play against a team from the Kent Academy was a great opportunity for us to put into practice all the skills and techniques that we have learned this week, and it definitely helped to improve our confidence.
“Last night, we spent time with two of Sunderland AFC’s first team players from Paraguay who were very easy to talk to. They shared their experiences and told us what it’s like to play at this level in the Barclays Premier League, which was fantastic to hear.”
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.
