Tuesday 12th April, 2016 – The Valley, Anguilla: Pace, power and precision were the order of the day when the boys took to the field as part of the Digicel Kickstart Clinic which was held in Anguilla and hosted by coaches from Manchester City FC.
The boys had a good attitude as the coaches took them through their training session, teaching them the strategies and methods employed as part of the City Football Schools youth football programme.
Project Manager for City Football Schools and lead coach for the Digicel Kickstart Clinic, Alan Dixon, said; “The players had a great attitude from the beginning and were eager to learn. We had some ‘Manchester’ rain during the Clinic, however that did not dampen their spirits as they kept the training at a high pace and pushed through.”
At the end of the two-day Clinic, the top three players selected were 15 year-old Carlique Gumbs, 16 year-old Keanu Richardson, and 15 year-old Marley Ipinson-Fabien. They will represent Anguilla at the Digicel Kickstart Academy to be held later this year.
At last year’s Digicel Academy, the MCFC coaches selected players from the Caribbean to continue training with them for a week at their City Football Academy, an elite training and youth development facility in Manchester, England. While there, they got a unique opportunity to experience life as a professional footballer – learning the tactics and strategies employed by Manchester City FC first team players.
The Digicel Kickstart Clinics programme is a once in a lifetime opportunity for thousands of aspiring young footballers. Through the Kickstart Clinics, participants not only learn football skills and technical abilities, but also develop an ethos of professionalism and a good attitude – key attributes of successful people across all walks of life.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)