ONE of the country’s leading football clubs – Fruta Conquerors – recently launched its 8th Annual Football Summer Camp. 

At a simple ceremony at its Tucville home ground, Fruta Conquerors had said initially, the camp would involve at least 40 children, but later announced that the number had increased.
The camp aims at educating young minds on social issues through football while helping to build a generation of footballers who are rounded both on and off the field.
Club secretary Daniel Thomas, in giving a comprehensive overview of what has been crafted for the next three weeks, pointed out that the camp will not just enlighten the youngsters on the fundamentals of football, but also edify them on crucial life skills and social issues.
According to the Guyana Times report, from among the topics to be delivered by experts in the respective fields are Drug and Substance Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Peer Pressure, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, HIV and STIs, environmental issues, and media relations.
Some of the presenters confirmed to conduct the classroom sessions are: Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, Senior Superintendent Angela Harding, University of Guyana lecturers Deon Frank and Dr Carolyn Walcott, former Director of Prisons Dale Erskine, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association’s Renuka Anandjit and US-based Guyanese Britney Brathwaite.
Football training will be spearheaded by the Club’s head coach Calvin Allen and a battery of coaches who will deal with specific areas.
Director of Marketing and Communications at the Guyana Football Federation, Rawle Toney, lauded the club’s contribution to football in Guyana and attributed their input to consistent investment of their players at the youth level.
Toney highlighted the importance of the Club’s executives choosing pertinent topics to be addressed, and for encouraging youth participation in football, which can truly serve to enhance the development of the game.
The National Milling Company (NAMILCO), a major supporter of the Club’s programme, has thrown its support behind the three-week academy, as well as Scotiabank, which is on board with the Tucville-based club for the first time.
Both sponsors’ representatives, Affeeze Khan and Jennifer Cipriani, were delighted to partner with the club, and they both left strong words of advice for the youngsters.
Classroom sessions will be held from 09:00hrs to 12:00hrs and football training from 13:00hrs to 15:00hrs daily.
The academy, which ends on August 21, has received tremendous support from corporate entities such as NAMILCO; Scotiabank; Guyana Beverage Company; Digicel; Farfan and Mendes; Food For The Poor (Guyana); the Education Ministry and the Office of the Director of Sport.