Hearts Of Oak Masters Annual Teach Them Young Football Camp ends

Aug 26, 2014 Sports

The Annual Hearts of Oak masters’ “Teach them Young” football August holiday camp ended last Friday with a presentation ceremony at the Prison Officers Sports club Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam. The camp which

Campers at the end of the Hearts of Oak Masters ‘Teach then Young’ five week camp in New Amsterdam.

was in its 17th year was held at the All Saints Scot Church Ground and the Prison Officers Sports club and the All Saints Primary School and lasted for a period of five weeks.
The programme was held five days weekly, Monday-Friday from 09:00hrs -13:00 hrs. During the sessions over 100 youths, both males and females, participated with the age ranging from 3-18 years. The participants were further divided into three sections: 3-8 years, 9-12 and 13-18 years.
During the camp the youths were taught the finer points of the game which included both theory and practical.
At the practical sessions, they were shown the various ways in receiving, passing, shooting, dribbling, and heading, along with overlapping, goalkeeping and throwing. They were also schooled in defensive, attacking, overlapping and set plays among other tactics. The youngsters also learnt the rules of the game, discipline, etiquette, good table manners, about HIV and AIDS and general education with Physical Fitness and fair play being an integral part of the sessions.
During the camp the youths were presented with trunks, football boots, hoses, goalkeeping gloves and jerseys.
At the end of the event they were presented with certificates, while the more outstanding participants were presented with special gifts. Thierre Philips was adjudged the most disciplined camper, while Royden Abrams, Shania Walton, and Samuel Ogleton received school bags, two pairs of uniforms, footwear and books.
At the closing ceremony the youths were congratulated and encouraged to continue to practice what they have learnt. They were told to stay in school and take their education seriously as education is the key to success. They were also told to be good ambassadors and to continue training and return to their respective teams and schools and share what they have learnt.
In giving the camp report, football coach Colin Bowery said that this is the first year that the camp went for more than four weeks. He also noted that the camp was the largest in terms of participation in the 22 years existence of the Heart of Oak Masters Teach Them Young football camp.
In brief remarks to the participants, Prison Officer Loraine Braithwaite told the youths to remember the skills learnt and to continue to be disciplined. “When you do so you will be rewarded. Remember football is a game that you must have discipline,” he said.
The course facilitators were Neil Humphrey, Kenrick and Colin Bowry, Nigel ‘Busit’ Felix and Randy Blades among others.
According to coordinator, former national player Neil ‘Grizzly’ Humphrey, the main aim of the programme was to have the youths better able to appreciate the rules and regulations and improve their knowledge of the game, improve their overall skills and understand sportsmanship and have a better human relationship with others.
Humphrey took the opportunity to thank all those who assisted in making the camp the tremendous success it was. He singled out Kurt Alphonso and the Alphonso family, Keith Humphrey, Franco Crawford and Sean Semple most of whom are overseas based. They look forward to working with them for the rest of 2014 and in 2015 to make the “Teach Them Young Football programme even bigger and better. (Samuel Whyte)