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As a further step in its ongoing youth football development programme, Digicel will be ensuring that Trinidad & Tobago’s young football talent – both players and coaches - has all of the right stuff to succeed on the world stage when it brings two coaches from English Premier League club, Sunderland AFC, to Trinidad for a three-day coaching clinic next week.

Digicel is always finding new ways to bring football to everyone at all levels. As well as pioneering the hugely successful Digicel Kick Start Clinics across the Caribbean and Central America, Digicel also sponsors Trinidad & Tobago’s Pro League, 15 national football leagues and federations across the Caribbean and Central America, the Digicel Caribbean Championships and the Copa de Naciones Digicel in Central America.

Kicking off on Saturday 12th December, day one of the coaching clinics will comprise a “Coach the Coach” session where 15 junior coaches from Trinidad & Tobago’s Digicel Pro League will be put through their paces and given some insider tips and tricks by Sunderland’s Academy of Light Manager, Ged McNamee and Academy Coach, Carlton Fairweather.

Days two and three of the three-day football extravaganza will see 30 of Trinidad & Tobago’s most talented Under 15 players (3 players from each of ten teams) taking part in coaching sessions, technical tests, question and answer sessions and small-sided games – in the build-up to the closing friendly match on Monday afternoon.

Speaking about his excitement about the trip to Trinidad & Tobago, Sunderland’s Academy of Light Manager, Ged McNamee, said; “As a club, we’re committed to getting out there and uncovering football talent at grass roots level – as such, I am really looking forward to seeing what the Trinidad & Tobago talent is like. Back in the autumn, Sunderland AFC hosted the eight successful boys from the Caribbean leg of the Digicel Kick Start Clinics for the second successive year for a training week and we were really impressed with their skills, their attitude and their maturity so we’re expecting great things next week. Who knows, we may even be lucky enough to uncover the next Kenwyne Jones!”

Kieran Foley, Group Director of Marketing for Digicel, commented; “We’re always looking for new ways to develop and support the great youth football talent that this region has to offer so we’re delighted to be building on our great partnership with Sunderland AFC. The eight boys who spent a week at the Academy of Light in September truly had a once in a lifetime experience and learned invaluable lessons from some of the world’s best coaches – experience that has been evident in their games ever since. We’re really excited to show Ged and Carlton what Trinidad & Tobago has to offer.”

Commenting on the initiative, CFU President and FIFA Vice President, Jack Warner, said; “Digicel is once again demonstrating its great commitment to developing football at all levels of the game. We are very pleased to welcome the guys from Sunderland AFC to Trinidad and that our young players and coaches will have the chance to learn from such experienced and high profile coaches.”