THREE young St Lucian footballers, Nyron Winter, Jevel Tobierre and Mario Lendor have been selected by the Manchester City FC coaches to attend the DigicelKickstart Academy in Jamaica.
They were among some 30 players aged 14 to 16 who took part in a two-day clinic this week hosted by Digicel and English club, Manchester City
In a brief ceremony when the players were presented with Certificates of attendance Project Manager for Manchester City FC Alan Dixon thanked them for turning up for training. “I am happy to see the way you apply yourselves on and off the pitch”, Dixon told them.
During the clinic the players were introduced to the philosophy and mythology of Manchester City FC. They were also given an opportunity to train like a City player. According to Dixon, the attitude of the players was “fantastic” and the coaches were pleased with what they saw.
Dixon told the players: “This is the start of your football journey, continue to work hard, continue with the same attitude. We wish you all the best. To the three players you have worked hard for this so you deserve it. It can only happen through hard work, dedication and the right attitude. We were looking for these qualities and we saw them in you”.
The three footballers will join counterparts from 14 other countries across the Caribbean and Central America in Jamaica for the DigicelKickstart Academy. While in Jamaica they will be put through the paces by the Manchester City FC coaches for a week with the hope of making the final eight who will then travel to Manchester City and train at the City Football Academy.
Dixon was asked what exactly they are looking for from the players. He replied: “We look for individual creativity and also technically how the players perform on the pitch, but importantly as well how they behave off the pitch. It is really important that we are selecting players who have the ability on the field, but also off the pitch because they represent the project, they represent their country because ultimately they have the opportunity to go to the City Academy in Manchester”.
