Jamaica
Youth Soccer Team on Goodwill Visit
By
Stan Walker
A 15-member squad of a young Jamaican soccer team is currently
in Hartford on a goodwill visit. The youngsters who are members
of the Norman Gardens Youth Club of Kingston, Jamaica, hope
to play games against local and New York teams before returning
to their homes. Last
year the team won the Princes cup, a community youth competition
sponsored by the Prince Charles Youth Foundation in England
and run by the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC). They also
were runners-up in the Ian Goodison League, another community
youth competition, run by the Institute of Sport on the island.
Because
of their success in the Princes Cup, the youngsters were invited
to England where they met people involved with the program
and the British High Commissioner. While in England they were
interviewed on the Skyports Network, visited the Police Youth
Club and were guests at a game between the English national
team and the Netherlands. They were also invited to attend
a training session of the English national team where they
met and received autographs from most of the top players.
The
visit to Hartford resulted from the desire of the organization
to take their program further and they are in Hartford because
they had established a relationship with the Hartford United
Sports Club through its member, Casmore Stewart. To make the
trip, the disciplined and enterprising group of youngsters,
chipped in funds on their own. They also received generous
assistance from Gresford Bennett, Project Manager of KRC and
from the Minister of Commerce and Technology, Phillip Paulwell.
Two
members of the team represent the island at the national level.
They are Ryan Reid, a member of the Under-20 team and Conrad
Hunt, who plays on the Under-17 team. They opened their visit
with a make-shift game on Sunday, March 31, against Hartford
United and went down to defeat 3-1.
Hartford
resident Stewart, who was instrumental in getting the team
to visit Hartford and has single-handedly taken on the task
of hosting the team locally, said that he would welcome any
assistance he can get either in cash or kind from members
of the community. He can be reached at telephone (860) 246-4722.
Patrick
Leslie, president of the club and manager of the team has
expressed his gratitude for the reception that they have received
since their arrival in Hartford. The Cricket Hall of Fame
has planned a welcome reception for the youngsters on Wednesday,
April 10, at the Sportsmen’s Athletic Club, Main Street,
Hartford, at 7 p.m. The group will return home April 28.
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