After a successful summer camp late last month, indications are for indoor seven-a-side football to be a permanent part of the local sports scene.
Kings Sports Centre recently put on a seven-a-side summer camp focusing on kids aged 4-10. The programme covered the basics such as shooting, dribbling, passing, heading and set pieces.
Leading the youngsters was Irish football coach Adam Luke Geoghegan, who states the plan is to form local teams shortly.
“The kids all grew in skill in a short time,” Geoghegan said. “The priority with their age group is lots of fun. There is lots of football heart and talent at this age group already. I’m bringing the European flair and skill to the kids here and the goal is to develop an elite boys football club. It would basically be a team for kids aged 8-10.
“The long-term plan would be to get them to a good level here. It would be a development programme that would get them to compete in the US and Europe.”
BCQS and Mourant Ozannes were the major corporate sponsors of the camp. The initiative falls under the School of Fitness branch of Cayman Sports Authority and works alongside the Save Our Youth Foundation.
Interestingly, Geoghegan has a degree in Fitness and Health Science from the University of Limerick. Before coming to Cayman he served as a sports development officer in his native Ireland. He states his partnership with Kings is the latest step in following his dream.
“I got here nine months ago. I’m engaged to a girl here and I really want to live here. My brother is a football coach and football is my passion. After getting the degree this is what I knew I wanted to do. It’s great too to get assistance from youngsters like Connor Cockhill, 14, who came down from boarding school in England to help out with the camp.”
Cockhill, who attends the Charterhouse school in Surrey, is a former Cayman resident. He lived in George Town with parents Laura and Peter Cockhill and attended Cayman Prep up to age 13. The young man states the camp is a good way for kids to get into football.
“It was fun and nice to see the kids improve,” Cockhill said. “The fact that it was indoors was good because there was no worries about sunburn. All in all they did a lot in a short time.”
Cockhill worked with some 30 youngsters in the programme. Among the stand-outs were Jonah Narborough, Aaron Jarvis and Thomas Milne, 8. Milne was the star goal-keeper and had huge praise from Geoghegan: “Thomas has the most God-given ability I’ve seen in goal in a kid that young,”
Milne, who plays two other sports in little league baseball and roller hockey, took the praise and his experience at the camp in stride.
“I play for the dms Bruins in the youth hockey league and I’m also in T-Ball,” Milne said. “My brother Harry, 5, is also into hockey. The camp was fun, I enjoyed being in goal and diving around. I’m fine in goal, it’s only tough fighting hard shots to the face.”
Related Videos
