Emerging footballer John-Paul Rochford, 15, the brother of Central FC centre, midfielder Jean-Luc Rochford, is one of three teenagers heading to Barbados in October to participate in the Digicel (Football) Academy.
Rochford (John-Paul), a form four student at Queen’s Royal College, who plays at centre midfield, will join goal keeper Elijah Shade, 14, from St Anthony’s College and Tyrel Emmanuel, 16, from Shiva Boys College Hindu College at the one week training camp at which Barclays Premier League coaches from Chelsea FC would conduct training.
But Andre Raymond was awarded a wild card, which could only be activated if the national community headed to the programme’s Facebook page and vote for him, overwhelmingly.
From a field of 31 athletes who took part in the two-day clinic held at St Mary’s College Grounds on Serpentine Road in St Clair, Port-of-Spain, which ended Monday, the trio impressed former Chelsea player David Monk and his team.
Monk was the senior International Football Development Officer for the Chelsea FC Foundation and head coach of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics.
Rochford, a player of the sport for the past ten years, said he learnt about the programme from friends who came across further information on Facebook.
Of his selection, he said “I feel shocked! The feeling overall is very pleasing for my family and for me. I feel good.”
Shade, a Chelsea fan, expressed confidence that his school would be proud of his latest achievement.
Personally, he said, the feeling was a good. “I just want to thank Almighty God, and my father for being right there. Every step of the way. I want to thank God…put God first and apply myself.”
Emmanuel, a form four student and die-hard Chelsea fan, was glad he took his coach’s advice to participate in the clinic.
“It feels very good. I am very excited to be part of the Digicel Academy,” he said.
His recalled his mother’s reaction to news of his intended participation as one filed with excitement. He believed she would have another reason to cheer.
Monk lauded Digicel’s decision to bring Chelsea back to T&T.
“We go from island to island. We do a ten-island tour. Last year was 14. The year before that was eleven. Every year, the talent certainly gets better. Last year in Trinidad was an extremely difficult decision for us picking three players!
Anthony Herbert, one of the guys who came through to the Academy, was a wonderful ambassador to T&T. He really flew the flag high. We came back here this year. He set the bench mark very high and we expected the ability to be high. You guys have surpassed that.
You’ve really done yourselves proud. It’s a very difficult decision for us. It’s the only market we have visited in the three years that we felt that there are ten to eleven players who can possibly represent this country at the Academy,” said Monk.
He went on to express his team’s delight to work with athletes under the banner of the T&T Special Olympics Committee. This level of engagement, he said, was key to the work done at the Chelsea Foundation, where the outfit engaged the wider community.
Monk said, “Our Foundation, very much like (the) Digicel Foundation on a whole is about trying to encourage participation in sport in any ability or through any platform. For us to have that engagement and the opportunity to not just benefit 30 players, but to benefit everybody in the community is wonderful for us.”
Christopher Edmund, senior sponsorship officer at Digicel said the Digicel Kick Start Clinic had a fantastic start with interest shown from over 200 emerging footballers.
After the two-day coaching and trials, he said, comments received from the coaches were that footballers exhibiting skills were some of the best talent ever seen in the three years of the clinic.
Edmund described the clinic as a pivotal step for young footballers pursuing careers in sports. He went on to encourage those making the final cut to embrace the tenets of discipline on which the programme was conceptualised as they go further in their training as well as everyday life.