For the second year in a row, Harbour View will be visiting Mexico City to represent Jamaica in the Scotiabank CONCACAF U-13 Champions League. The tournament will take place on July 23 – 30th, but the team departed the island today to give the youths more time to prepare as well as adjust to the altitude, and are set to return to the island on Jamaica’s Emancipation Day, August 1st.
Harbour View has been placed in Zone A, along with 3 other teams: Hermosillo (Mexico), Real Esteli (Nicaragua), and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad and Tobago). Overall, there are 4 zones and 16 clubs, spanning Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, USA, Canada, Panama, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Nicaragua & Jamaica. The top 2 teams of each zone will advance to the quarterfinal stages, then semi-finals and finals.
The boys have been preparing through weekly training sessions and practice games against other teams, winning their last game 7 – 0 against a confederation team in Clarendon earlier in the week. There were also supervised camping sessions held at the HVFC dormitory to enhance communication and discipline within the team.
International sponsors Scotiabank, covers 18 persons from each club with airlines tickets including 16 players and 2 officials, plus accommodation and 3 daily meals at a designated hotel, ground transportation, 2 full sets of branded colour-specific gears of socks, shorts and jerseys, trips and tours of the city at the Azteca Stadium and other local world-renowned locations.
A whole new world will unfold for the very lucky youngsters, meeting new friends, bonding, seeing new places and exposure to different cultures on and off the field, the mix of languages, personalities, playing styles and tactics, surfaces, sizes and paces.
8 HVFC players and 3 officials return to the squad from the inaugural staging in August 2015, focused with a burning desire to improve on last year’s performance. 2 additional officials travel with the team to add efficient management ratios and targeting players’ breathing capacity.
The local Scotiabank group organized for their business house team to meet and give insight to the youngsters during a training session at our stadium. The Scotiabank ‘ballers played, advised, and even took selfies with the under-13 players in an enthusiastic, productive encounter. On a separate day, the Scotiabank group arranged a sweet treat for the boys to Candy Craze, a candy bar & creamery. Here, they smiled, laughed, talked and ate confectioneries with the Scotia team, before getting back to business as a training session followed not long after. For providing us again with this opportunity to expose youths to an international tournament of this calibre, and for the positive activities leading up to it, we say a big thank you!
Sincere praises must also be bestowed on our ongoing associate, travel insurance sponsor Caribbean Assurance Brokers Ltd., who are covering our group of 20 persons in travel and health insurance. They also covered us for to this tournament last August, along with the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup in March 2016, and the Cayman Airways U14 Invitational last month.
Promotional sessions were held with both sponsors shortly before the team departed. Caribbean Assurance Brokers Ltd. had a mid-morning session with the team in the VIP area of our stadium including photo opportunities. The team then headed to the airport where they were met by Scotiabank representatives, the Hon. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange (Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sports), and TV cameras for short presentations & interviews. Both sponsors were presented with a framed personalized ‘thank you’ image from us as a small token of our appreciation for the immense support.
Players:
Damain ROBINSON
Keastner STURRIDGE
Rasheed WILLIS
Delroy JONES
Warner BROWN (co-Captain)
Jaequan MARSHALLECK
Damoy WHITEHORNE
Kelijah MORGAN
Demarco THORNE
Tyrese WILLIAMS
Anthony BENNETT
Rojaughn JOSEPH (co-Captain)
Jamali MILLER
Kevaughn WILSON
Tyrieke SPAULDING
Howard ANGLIN
Management:
Coach, Sydney McFARLANE
Manager, Monica Malcolm-McFARLANE
Equipment Manager, Michael JACKSON
Head of Delegation, Clyde JUREIDINI
Wishing the team all the best!