It is the throwaway wish of millions of schoolboys to play in the English Premier League. Many who live within a goal kick of a Premiership ground don’t ever get a sniff of gracing their local arena even in a scrimmage game, yet a Cayman footballer is about to leapfrog ahead of the hordes in England and join Blackburn Rovers Academy next month.
A Caribbean kid living 5,000 miles away from the most exciting, celebrated and watched league in the world getting this sort of chance is no easy feat and Jermaine ‘Tiger’ Wilson is extremely grateful that he has connections who have made it possible.
Premiership clubs generally only recruit players within a 30-mile catchment area, and only under exceptional circumstances do they look further afield, such is the desire of kids to emulate their heroes. Blackburn obviously think Wilson is worth it.
He just turned 16 in February and within days of taking his final exams at John Gray High School, will be leaving Elite Sports Club in West Bay and flying to the Lancashire giants for the chance that many other gifted youngsters worldwide can only dream of. Luckily, Wilson has the right backing to fulfil his immense talent.
That first led to a trial at Watford a year ago. The Championship side gave him only a brief opportunity to showcase his skills over a week-long tryout, but it was enough to make the coaches take note.
Luckily for Wilson his contacts were able to secure him the Blackburn opportunity, and assuming manager Steve Kean and his support staff are suitably impressed, young Tiger intends to be roaring into their first team after his two-year apprenticeship is completed – hopefully earlier if his progress matches his ambitions. Wilson hopes to emulate Alan Shearer, whose goals helped Blackburn to their Premiership title in 1995.
“I’m much more excited at getting this chance with Blackburn than I was with Watford because they are a much bigger club,” Jermaine said. “At Watford I did well and the coaches only had good things to say. They only gave me a 20 minute tryout in the one match, but I managed to score and assisted with one goal, plus I did a fitness test and did well, so that is why they liked me, I think.
“My passing and vision has improved and I intend to excel. I found that the English game is more about passing than here and it’s faster and more physical.”
Nevertheless, Wilson seems to travel well. He so impressed the Real Madrid coaches at their Miami summer camp two years running that they asked him to join their weekly Miami team – only to discover that he lives in the Cayman Islands and not Florida.
Last year Wilson went to a summer camp in Brazil, with the celebrated Vasco da Gama club, and impressed there too, especially against a development side from Rio. When Elite went to Honduras on a pre-season tour last September, he shone again in their three matches and again drew praise from locals. From his Watford experience, Wilson felt he needed to get stronger and faster. Under dad Tiger’s guidance, he has worked hard at that, including a weights programme to increase size and strength. Tiger is a former natural body-building world champion, so his methods are unquestionable.
Jermaine’s only reservations are, inevitably, the English chill. “On my first day at Watford it was very cold and I found it hard to breathe. But by the third day it got better and I was okay.”
Wilson did not miss a match for Elite, who stormed to the Premier League title last season, playing in the unfamiliar role of left back, even though he is right-footed and prefers central midfield. Opposing teams always started their best strikers against Tiger, but by half time they had moved elsewhere through frustration.
Dad Tiger said: “I’m excited for him. He has always talked about being a professional since he was tiny and has kept that dream going all these years through discipline and dedication. His Blackburn coaches will find he adjusts, listens and complies, absorbs and takes in things quickly.
“He is more developed than last year, stronger and has more speed. He did well with Elite even though they played him out of position, which goes to show how versatile he is. He’s willing to play anywhere except keeper!”
Jermaine is now training with Cayman’s Under-23 national team for their Olympic qualifiers, although he will miss their matches in October.
Mum Susan said: “I feel I’m losing my baby but I’m happy for him because it’s what he wants and has been working for since he was really small. People have told him repeatedly that he will never make it, coming from the Cayman Islands, but he knew if he put the work into it – even at a 1,000-1 shot – if he never lost that self-belief it could happen.
“Now he has that opportunity. I know he is mature enough to take care of himself and will give it his best shot. We really appreciate Blackburn Rovers giving him this opportunity.”
Susan and youngest family member Jordan, 11, are going to England too. They will make it a family holiday, based in London at the luxurious Crown Moran Hotel in Cricklewood, northwest London, who have given them a special rate. The two Tigers will make the move 200 miles north and dad will help his son settle in before resuming the three-week family holiday at the Crown Moran. By then the protégé should be nicely settled in.
Elite technical director Gregory Ebanks has only the highest praise for the wonder kid. “At 15 Tiger was playing in the Premier League here and I was amazed with his standard of performance,” he said.
“He adapted exceptionally well from youth football and showed a lot of maturity and reading of the game. Even though he is not big in size, it was often a case of David and Goliath. The opposition always targeted him but he always matched their challenge.
“I think Tiger has immense potential and this is an appropriate time to leave to further his career. He has the willingness and determination and I have great hopes he’ll pull through.”
Ebanks is glad that Wilson was lucky enough to get spotted and the scouts enabled him to get the chance of a lifetime. “I’m happy to see Tiger go and hope it inspires others to pursue their dreams. We only played him left back because we had a limited number of defenders, yet he was one of my top players.”
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