On the Corner | Sports the way out for many in Fletcher's Land, corporate hands needed
Published:Sunday | December 23, 2018 | 12:00 AMSyranno Baines/Gleaner Writer
The Western Kingston community of Fletcher's Land is rife with natural football talent waiting to be uncovered at all levels, and one young resident is calling on corporate Jamaica to take on the mantle.
According to 18-year-old Stephan Green, the private sector, with its wealth of resources, is in an advantageous position to not only discover, but nurture sporting talent to the point where it becomes a livelihood.
Green, who turns out for Holy Trinity High School in the Under-19 Manning Cup competition, was also quick to point out to a Gleaner RISE/Life Management on the Corner with Unattached Youth forum last week that such an initiative would be mutually beneficial, as corporate Jamaica would also see its brand boosted by aligning with exciting, young talent.
Education key
"It would sort of be like Bolt and Digicel. They've been with him from he was young and helped in his development, and the rest is history," he reasoned.
"Here in Fletcher's Land, we have so many talented footballers at all ages. You have some youths here that put the older man them to shame when we play ball on the weekends. So if those guys could just get the exposure, the coaching, the support, the right gear, and so on, their future bright," said Green, noting that further education is also a key component of talent development.
"While sports is physical activity, at the end of the day, it's supposed to develop the person mentally as well. So these companies would also invest in the youth them education, and that would also help with them representing the company even better," he contended.
The teenager, who is eyeing his last season of Manning Cup next year, further appealed for big companies to come on board with the staging of the different football competitions in the community.
"We'll save a ten grand ($10,000) and keep some competitions from time to time, but we could really use some sponsorship to make it more exciting and bigger and also to give a more authentic type of feeling ... . I know talent, and trust me, the talent in Fletcher's is ridiculous, and we really need to get it out there and grow it so an inner-city area like Fletcher's and many families can be better off," he added.