Milo and Barcelona are at it again, making the dreams of young footballers from this country come through with all-expenses paid trips to Barcelona, Spain to see the Catalan giants play, tour the historic city and take part in a training camp at the famous Camp Nou stadium.
Last year, three T&T youngsters went to Spain – Addae Pamponette, Dantaye Gilbert and Tau Lamsee.
This edition of the Milo Football Skills Tournament will see five footballers from the seven to 12 age group selected from three trials to be held in May and June.
The Milo Skills Tournament will kick off on May 19 in Mt Pleasant with a winner in the seven to 12 bracket selected. It shifts to the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain on May 26 for the second trial. The final trial will be held on June 2 at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. From trials two and three, two winners will be selected in the seven to nine age group and two winners in the 10-12 grouping.
The Skills Tournament is being run by former England international and head coach of Football Factory, Terry Fenwick. Fenwick stressed that all participants will be treated fairly and judged solely on their performance.
He said the skills component this year has been expanded to include passing (long and short), control (left foot, right foot), dribbling, manipulating the football at pace and composure (an intense drill involving shooting).
Fenwick praised Nestle for taking their corporate social responsibility seriously and urged the participants to look after their bodies and live a healthy lifestyle.
Patricio Torres, Market Head, Nestle Anglo Dutch Caribbean Region, revealed his company has been doing business in this country since 1914 and enjoys a healthy relationship with its consumers.
He said Nestle and Barca have common values which the young footballers should try to emulate.
He said humility is important for footballers and hailed the leadership of former Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol who always implored his players to stay humble in victory. Like Barca, he said Nestle even though they are a big company, is always willing to learn something new.
He said Nestle and Barca both have ambition which is not a bad thing. He lamented, however, the lack of motivation displayed by Barcelona against Roma in the 2nd leg of their Champions League game on Tuesday which they lost 3-0. He said respect for the community, the consumer and opponents is also crucial.
Torres urged players to display their skills and push Nestle to invest even more and make it hard for them to select only five.
“We will not stop but continue to invest,” he declared.
Robin Cumberbatch, Business Executive Officer, Nestle, boasted Milo and Barcelona are both iconic brands around the world and are advocates for healthy lifestyles. He explained that the Milo Football Skills Tournament hopes to target 22 million children by 2030.
He told the youngsters present that being physically active can not only be fun but also rewarding as seen in Milo’s partnership with Barcelona.
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The Good Food, Good Life company is set to give five skilled young footballers, ages 7-12, an opportunity of a football experience of a lifetime abroad, through the second MILO® Football Skills Tournament on Tuesday.
Last August, Nestle Milo through its partnership with FC Barcelona (FCB) took three young players Addae Pamponette, Dantaye Gilbert and Tau Lamsee on an all-expenses-paid trip to Spain where they trained with Barcelona Soccer School, toured the city and participated in a host of other special activities that were planned for them and 93 other children from across the world.
In 2017, Nestle and FC Barcelona signed a four-year global partnership based on a shared vision to positively impact the lives of 22 million youngsters during their foundation years (7- 12) which will be broken down to 7-9 and 10-12 age brackets.
The partnership will promote healthier lifestyles among children through physical activity and will see the brands conduct a series of initiatives across Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America. Patricio Torres, Head of Market of the company’s Anglo-Dutch Caribbean region, said the partnership is “in complete alignment with Nestle’s global goal to help 50 million children live healthier lifestyles by the year 2030.”
Robin Cumberbatch, Business Executive Officer Nestle Anglo-Dutch Caribbean, highlighted also that “in a time where budgets are cut and businesses are forced to close doors, Nestle has implemented measures to see to it that five children, instead of three from T&T will receive the opportunity of a lifetime.”
He stated further “Even in a difficult economic climate, Milo will continue to support our youth.”
The Milo® Football Skills Tournament will take place in May and June. Competences in five skill-sets will be tested by the Football Factory Foundation- passing, dribbling, composure, running and control. It begins at the Mt Pleasant Grounds in Tobago, May 19 where the winner will be selected. Similar tournaments will also be held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo May 26 and the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain Couva where the top four will be chosen.
Over 400 children registered and participated in last year’s tournament and the company hopes to see a marked increase in these numbers. Registration will be done via the MILO® Caribbean Facebook page or online at nestle.tt/milofootball. As part of the process, a 400 gram Milo® pack must be purchased which, like last year, will be collected on entry at each tournament trial and donated to less fortunate homes within communities across T&T. NourishTT will coordinate donation of the MILO® packs.
In October, the five young players will join two from Guyana and Barbados to travel to Barcelona for a two-day clinic with FCB coaches and a number of other fun football-related activities. The MILO® Football Skills Tournament is just one of the many activities planned by the brand in T&T to advance the partnership’s global mission.
To contribute to improvement of the lives of 22 million youth, MILO® TT will offer another chance to visit Spain to one lucky child in July 2018 for travel in November through its “enter to win” promotion and will also execute other activities throughout the year.