Bermudan soccer star David Bascome has been recruited to give the girls game on Cayman a major boost.
Mr. Bascome, who spent 13 years with Harrisburg Heat and now plays for Baltimore Blast in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the US, runs his own soccer camps and is coming to Grand Cayman in August to help with setting up a recreational girls’ youth soccer league programme.
The project has the backing of the Cayman Islands’ Football Association and will provide an outlet for girls aged between 7 years and 12 years to play soccer year round in an organized, competitive environment.
The league’s foundation and objectives will be to assist in building the girls’ soccer skills, foster self-esteem and teach them the importance of being team players, both on and off the field.
Having the ability to involve themselves athletically, on a routine basis, leads to a more disciplined lifestyle and often contributes towards academic achievement.
Here in August
To kick-off this league, organiser Sue Greene has arranged for Mr. Bascome to come to Cayman between 20-27 August to put on a soccer camp for girls.
David Bascome’s Soccer School, founded in 1999, has become one of the premier soccer-training schools in Bermuda and the northeastern US.
Mr Bascome is ranked 14th in the US Major Indoor Soccer League and was an All Star player for the Bermuda national team.
He was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and received a Member of the British Empire for his services to the community in Bermuda.
The camp will be held between 9am-1pm beginning Monday, 22 August, through Saturday, 27 August.
Participants will pay a fee for the camp and league. However, organisers are seeking sponsors to help with the bulk of the costs.
All players will be provided with a shirt and a ball. Mr. Bascome will hold an autograph session at the Kings Sports Centre for all children island-wide.
He will also conduct an evening session for coaches and parents to educate them about structuring practices.
All aspects
During this session he will cover all aspects of the game including injury prevention and health and fitness.
Sue Greene is committed to the establishment of the Cayman Island Girls Football Association and to ensure that it is run efficiently. She intends to conduct weekly practices and games throughout the year.
She is seeking financial contributions to fund the costs of the camp, league uniforms for the girls and any costs involved in operating the league.
Sue can be contacted on 947-9742 or 925-7837.
Mr. Bascome began his soccer career at the age of 7 in his native Bermuda.
By 16, he was playing first-division soccer for Bermuda’s North Village Club.
He made his first appearance for Bermuda’s national team at the age of 18, and at 20 signed his first professional contract with the Harrisburg Heat of Pennsylvania in the USA’s National Professional Soccer League.
After 13 seasons playing professional indoor soccer, Mr. Bascome won his first championship during season 2003-2004 after joining Baltimore Blast.
He is entering his 14th season and ranks 14th all-time in the MISL with 958 points.
A five-time League All-Star, he is Harrisburg’s all-time leader in nearly every category’ points, games played, total goals, blocks and game-winning goals.
He is only the 16th player in league history to pass the 900-point plateau, and has earned honours as team MVP, League MVP Finalist, five-time League All-Star. He and is one of the league’s most prolific two-way players. He also leads the scoring and games -played charts
Off the field he has found much success. As well as his MBE, he is also Harrisburg Magazine’s Peoples Choice award winner in the area of Sports Celebrity.
He also finds time to write a weekly column for the Bermuda Sun.
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