SHOES?OFF, boots on!
That’s the motto for the Brewster Trust 2013 Schools’ Football Programme.
The programme, a new initiative in conjunction with the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Football League (BSSFL) and coaches from Arsenal Football Club, was launched last week Monday.
“Following our mission to promote, develop and improve football in Barbados and to create opportunities, especially for the youth, our charity offers support with a coaching course for coaches, football sessions for students and equipment for schools,” said Brewster Trust’s chief executive officer Axel Bernhardt.
With the goal of improving the overall standard of football in the secondary schools through its development programme, Bernhardt said the partnership with the BSSFL?includes three main elements.
“Last Monday the programme kicked off with a coaching course for the secondary schools’ coaches with, in total, 51 registered participants from 24 schools,” he said.
“The course was held by John Olaleye of Arsenal FC at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic including sessions on the field and off the field.”
BSSFL president Adrian Mapp said the league was very happy to have the Brewster Trust’s commitment and experience involved in its activities and long-term plans.
“We are in the process of restructuring our league for the benefit of the footballers with the main intention of focused coaching and [spending] more time with football during the academic year,” he said.
Bernhardt also revealed that the Brewster Trust started weekly coaching courses at individual secondary schools, held by coaches from Arsenal FC’s Arsenal in the Community programme.
“The schools had the choices of ‘curriculum sessions’; double club, which includes an academic part combining general literacy and football, after school programme or a community session on Saturday mornings,” he said.
“Twenty-one schools have registered for 35 weekly sessions, involving 62 hours of football, until the end of the academic year.
“In addition, we support the participating schools with equipment on a sponsorship basis but with some simple conditions of usage,” Bernhardt added.
“Together with other partners we offer a specific package that includes, for example, individual and branded tricots with shirt, shorts, socks and shin pads for 22 players, bibs, footballs, foldable mini goals or a set of cones.”
The Arsenal coaches in Barbados for the January to April period are Dana Podmolikova, Niall Conwell, Cedric Johnson and Jamie Hunter.
Further info can be found on the Brewster Trust’s web portal: http://www.football.bb/ projects/school-programme-2013/ (EZS)
