- September, 27 2011 -
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Monday, September 26th 2011 – Panama: After three days of training as part of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics in Panama, Head Coach and England and Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, has chosen the four aspiring young footballers who will take their place in the Digicel Academy.
Carlos A. Saavedra, Alcides Murillo, Iván Darío Murillo and Jonathan Moreno are the four lucky youngsters whose talents shone through during the Panama round of the Digicel Clinics.
The four boys were chosen after three days of Clinics that followed six preliminary rounds – in which more than 300 applicants tried out. From there, 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.
In addition, after a very tight competition, the winner of the Hot Shot contest was Luis Cañate who as the ‘wildcard’ player, will go up against his counterparts from the other Digicel Kick Start countries for a chance to take one last place in the Digicel Academy.
John Barnes, said; “I’m very happy to return to Panama. The boys gave their best and the best were elected to live this fantastic experience that will develop their love of football and their determination to succeed.”
Director of Pandeportes (the Panamanian Sports Institute), Ruben Cardenas, “At the Sports Institute, we believe these types of grassroots initiatives are essential in order to promote sport and as such we are proud to have partnered with Digicel for the Digicel Kick Start Clinics. It is a tremendous opportunity for these young talented footballers to represent their country abroad and we wish them good luck.”
One of the chosen footballers, Carlos Saavedra, said; “I think I was chosen mainly because of my humility. It was a very difficult competition and there’s so much talent, but with the favour of God I got through. "
The all new Digicel Academy is a week-long elite training camp under the leadership of top Barclays Premier League coaches from the Sunderland Academy, assisted by England and Liverpool football legend, John Barnes, which will take place in Trinidad from Tuesday November 1st to Monday November 7th.
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.
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.
