TWO JAMAICAN FOOTBALL LEGENDS COACH THE JAMAICA DIGICEL KICK START CLINICS

- Theodore Whitmore assists Head Coach John Barnes for the Jamaica leg of Digicel’s Inaugural Youth Development Football Clinics

Wednesday, 13 February– Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaican football legend, Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, has been selected to assist John Barnes in coaching the Jamaica National U20 for the Digicel Kick Start Clinics at the Barbican Football Field in Kingston Thursday February 14 – Sunday February 16.

John Barnes looks forward to building a good working relationship with Whitmore: “In the last seven countries, I have been working very closely with the local coaches who help me identify the outstanding players. Theodore is very popular in Jamaica and his involvement will be important as the boys know him and respect him.”
Whitmore played for the Reggae Boyz' at the 1998 FIFA World Cup where he scored two goals in Jamaica's lone win of the competition against Japan. The same year he was named Caribbean Footballer of the Year. Currently, Whitmore is the Head Coach for the National Junior team after just completing a stint as interim Head Coach for the National Senior football team.

Yvonne Wilkes, Digicel Head of Corporate Affairs, explains Theodore Whitmore’s involvement in the Jamaica Digicel Clinics: “Whitmore is a legend in Jamaican football and a valuable addition to the Digicel Clinics coaching team. The young footballers here know him well and we feel his assisting John Barnes will further enhance the training sessions. The alliance of Barnes and Whitmore will be a good one as they both share the common goal with the joint passion for promoting Caribbean football on the world stage. We think that together, Whitmore and Barnes will be able to reach these boys and ensure the success of the Jamaica Digicel Clinics.”

The Digicel Kick Start Football Clinics have already visited 7 islands and make their final stop in Jamaica at the Barbican Football Field in Kingston on Thursday February 14 and ends on Saturday February 16 with a match between the National U-20 and the winning team from the ongoing Digicel text competition voted team.

At the end of February John Barnes will select the six most talented Caribbean footballers who will be offered the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to the UK to take part in one week’s training at English Premier League side Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light.

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About Digicel

Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the fastest-growing wireless telecommunications operator in the Caribbean. Digicel is renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, superior customer care, a wide variety of products and services, and state-of-the-art handsets. It is the largest GSM operator in the region.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and has operations in twenty three markets, including Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Curaçao, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and El Salvador. Digicel also has a license in Guatemala and coverage in St. Martin and St. Barths.

The company is the lead sponsor of Caribbean sports teams including the West Indies Cricket Team, Special Olympics teams across the Caribbean and is title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Football Union Cup, which involves over 30 Caribbean countries and is an important qualifier towards the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

For more information, visit http://digicelfootball.com

About Sunderland’s Academy of Light

Sunderland’s Academy of Light training ground is a multi-million-pound, multi-purpose building that has catered for Sunderland players since it opened in March 2003, and remains one of Europe’s leading training complexes.

The state-of-the-art facility caters for a player’s every need, boasting nine full-size football pitches and a wealth of indoor facilities including a swimming pool and a fully-equipped gymnasium.

The Academy part of the building, which is specifically for the club’s younger players, also includes a number of classrooms with modern computers to help educate young players while they’re with the club