- September, 23 2011 -
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- After 6 preliminary rounds nationwide, 29 children from Panama City, Chiriquí, Veraguas and Colón will showcase their skills for John Barnes
Friday, September 23rd 2011 – Panama: Following on from the successful opening leg of this year’s Digicel Kick Start Clinics in Haiti earlier this week, Head Coach and England and Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, has arrived in Panama in search of the top aspiring young footballers there.
After six preliminary rounds – in which more than 300 applicants tried out – 29 young footballers were carefully chosen to showcase their talents in the hope of being selected for the elite Digicel Academy – a week-long training camp under the leadership of top Barclays Premier League coaches from the Sunderland Academy, assisted by John Barnes.
Digicel Kick Start Clinics Head Coach, John Barnes, said; “I am very excited to be back in Panama for this year’s Digicel Kick Start Clinics – and especially with this year’s introduction of the Digicel Academy.
“The Clinics are a fantastic initiative which every year has produced great talent from all across Panama. These programmes are very important as they go towards the long term development and evolution of local players and the sport at large.”
Digicel Panama Director of Marketing, Mara Samaniego, said; “Digicel’s commitment to football goes beyond our sponsorship of the Panamanian Soccer League and the Digicel Kick Start Clinics are an example of this. This is our third consecutive year as host country of the Clinics and we have seen the participation grow tremendously year on year.
“In addition, we are particularly excited about sending four lucky players to the new Digicel Academy – this year giving more players the chance to learn from top class coaches from Sunderland AFC.”
The Panama Digicel Kick Start Clinics kicked off today and continue tomorrow and Sunday September 25th when John Barnes will select the best four players for a place in the Digicel Academy.
In addition to the clinics, Barnes will be sharing his experience and knowledge with the under 11’s and under 13’s teams from BAGOSO FC club, an initiative of Panamanian soccer player, Felipe Baloy, that seeks to promote sports for young people who are from areas of social risk and unrest.
The Digicel Academy will also host a ‘coach the coaches’ seminar in which coaches from across the region will get expert training from Sunderland AFC’s finest teachers.
The Digicel Kick Start Clinics programme officially kicked off on Sunday 18th September in Haiti before travelling on to Panama, New York, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, Suriname, Jamaica and culminating in a week long training session at the Digicel Academy in Trinidad from Tuesday November 1st to Monday November 7th.
For more information, visit www.digicelfootball.com.
ENDS
| THE ROAD TO THE ACADEMY TIMELINE | |
| Country | John Barnes Clinic Dates |
| Haiti | Sunday 18th – Thursday 22nd September |
| Panama | Friday 23rd – Monday 26th September |
| New York | Tuesday 27th – Friday 30th September |
| St. Kitts & Nevis | Saturday 1st – Tuesday 4th October |
| Grenada | Wednesday 5th – Saturday 8th October |
| Suriname | Sunday 9th – Wednesday 12th October |
| Jamaica | Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th October |
| Trinidad | The Digicel Academy – Tuesday 1st – Monday 7th November |
ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
After ten years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11.5 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
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 Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.
In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its 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.
Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information.
