CONTINUING to invest in the development of the nation’s youth, the Pele FC Alumni will once again host their much-anticipated Youth Development Seminar, 2025 edition targetting 100 children.

This year’s programme, which will be held for two days at the Marian Academy, Carifesta Avenue, will see a number of facilitators dealing with topics from the oil and gas sector to health care; aviation; dental hygiene; social etiquette; suicide and mental health; gender-based violence; life skills and the aviation industry.

Presenters will include Georgetown Public Hospital CEO Robbie Rambarran, and Cecil Jacques,
former Pele Football Presidents Dr Colin Watson, Desire Edghill, Warren Oudkerk, Wenceslas Laundry, and Dawn Braithwaite.

Current Pele FC President, Dirk Exeter, will also make a presentation with the keynote address at the opening ceremony to be presented by Floyd Haynes.

Executive Board member and Treasurer of Pele FC Alumni Corporation, Patrick ‘Labba’ Barton, informed that the US based group primarily made up of former Pele FC players from the 1970s and 1980s are committed to giving back to their homeland with the young people the focus.

“This initiative has been going on for many years and we will continue to be committed to this. It brings us joy and satisfaction annually to be able to help empower these young people through the programmes that we do as an alumnus. It’s a lot of work we engage in to execute the vision of enabling young people to stay focused and to aim big and be committed to being excellent.”

Another Pele FC Alumni Board, Eric ‘Riggie’ Smith, shared that one of the motivations is seeing the rise of many of the youths that they have sponsored over the years through their scholarship programme.

“Many of these kids don’t have the means of support to follow their dreams in terms of education, so we decided that we will select some of those and support them on a monthly basis. This initiative has borne encouraging fruits and we have seen them really grow and develop; one of them has successfully completed his pilot school studies and is now focused on attaining the required hours to gain his licence.”

Smith further noted that this is just one of many success stories that continue to drive the Pele FC Alumni Corporation. Support for the Pele Football Club continues to be the norm as the entity continues to empower the club. Over twenty (20) players from the club will be attending this two-day programme and each participant will be presented with a backpack, containing school supplies.

Meanwhile, the Youth Development Programme will kick off with a one-day football fiesta on Thursday, April 17, at the Ministry of Education Ground where three matches will be played.

Pele Under-13s will face Vurlon Mills Academy at 14:00hrs, followed by a senior clash between Pele and Santos senior teams from 16:00hrs, a match that will rekindle a decades-old rivalry between the two clubs.

The final game of the day from 19:00hrs will bring together the Under-19 teams from Pele and Buxton Stars.