Argentine football coach helps to develop rural talent
Published:Wednesday | September 14, 2016 | 12:00 AMCarl Gilchrist
ST ANN'S BAY, St Ann:
Young football enthusiasts in St Ann recently benefited from a free coaching session, thanks to Argentine football coach Carlos Volpini, who, for yet another year, offered his coaching expertise for free to the kids.
Organised by the Thread Foundation, a four-day training clinic, held at the Jonas Reiner Youth Centre in St Ann's Bay, afforded participants aged from pre-teen to mid-teen years to gain vital knowledge from the former football player.
More than 50 children turned out for the training, some of them gaining additional knowledge to what they had acquired last summer from a similar opportunity when Volpini first visited.
Volpini played soccer professionally for 17 years in Argentina, the United States, El Salvador and Guatemala before turning to coaching, which he has done for the past 20 years.
His return to the community where last year he confessed to seeing "lots of talent" among the youth was marked by a warm welcome-back ceremony attended by members of the community.
For the next four days, the football-loving children were taken through their paces, learning attacking, defending and goalkeeping skills from the professional South American.
GRATEFUL FOR OPPORTUNITY
Pam Tulloch-McGlashan, one of the organisers, told Rural Xpress that Thread Foundation was truly grateful that Volpini has returned to Jamaica to conduct another football clinic.
"We had 50 young men attending and we had to rely on friends and businesses in the community to help us cover the expenses incurred for that period.
"A special thanks to Matthew at Country Pride Supermarket and Karen at Chuck's Bakery, (both) in St Ann's Bay, for assisting in providing meals for the 50 young athletes who attended the four-day training by Carlos Volpini at the Jonas Reiner Centre."
At the closing ceremony after another successful clinic, Mayor of St Ann's Bay Desmond Gilmore led the show of appreciation and, speaking on behalf of the children who gained knowledge, parents, and the wider community, thanked Volpini wholeheartedly.
Gilmore presented Volpini with a trophy as a token of appreciation.
Meanwhile, the upgrading work at the centre has started. Last year, councillor for the St Ann's Bay division, Dallas Dickenson, said he had chosen the Jonas Reiner Park as his legacy project and will be upgrading the facility.
Work has since commenced on the project, with Dickenson expressing the hope that Volpini's input is the start of a journey to return Jonas Reiner Youth Club to prominence.