Duckie gets into the academy business

EXPERIENCED FOOTBALL coach Donovan Duckie is embarking on starting a football academy in his native parish of St Mary, to impart his knowledge to the youth, who will also get an opportunity to improve their life from the sport.

According to the well-travelled Duckie, the process has started to establish the St Mary Central Academy, as there have been stakeholders’ meetings.

“It will be a business model. We are putting in a proper structure so it is not a one-man show. Meetings and the minutes are being kept, and we are getting the equipment together to make the launch later this year,” Duckie said.

Duckie, who has had coaching stints with several Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clubs, parted ways with Montego Bay United in March after taking over in August. Duckie has also coached at Humble Lion, Waterhouse, Portmore United and Mount Pleasant Football Academy.

According to Duckie, the inspiration for starting the academy emanates from people within his immediate circle who urged him to use his vast knowledge of football by becoming an owner.

SELF-INTROSPECTION

“The aim is to establish St Mary Central Academy in St Mary. I have been doing some self-introspection and listening to a lot of my family members and friends, and the word is, ‘if you are such a good teacher of football and your track record has shown that you have built and improved many teams outside St Mary, why not be the owner of one and improve them for yourself ?’”

“I have also looked around at evidence, like Cavalier. Rudolph Speid has done a wonderful job with these youngsters. St Mary is not short on talent. We are one of the most talented parishes when it comes on to players,” Duckie said.

He argued that the talent from the parish is spread throughout the island in different competitions, including the JPL, as the structure, infrastructure and the organisational skill needed for development in the parish are lacking.

According to Duckie, these will be important elements of St Mary Central Academy, with groundwork already done for a proper structure that will include positions as board of directors, general secretary, different levels of coaches, technical director and public relations. A website is also being built along with a social media presence.

He said a booklet is being prepared that will outline the philosophy, objectives and developmental plans at different stages, which will be used to woo the business community in St Mary while also showing the linkage of these establishments with the communities they are in.

“We are also appealing to individuals from St Mary who want to invest in football, or any foreign investor who also knows of the Donovan Duckie brand and my ability to teach and improve players,” he said.

Duckie said flyers would be manufactured and distributed to schools in the parish, with the best from tryouts getting an opportunity to be involved. The players will be divided into two categories, with those within the four to 13 age group being drafted into the St Mary Central Academy and those between the ages of 14 and 19 enrolled in the St Mary Central Academy Elite.

“It will be a holistic approach, so it’s not just about football. And this is the reason I want to go into the schools, because I can change the mindset of a generation and get to instill good values in terms of mannerism, their conduct on a day-to-day basis, their education, which is the most important thing, which will be at the forefront in terms of running the academy.

“We would want to matriculate also to become a club. So the Elite would be the senior team that we would be making with junior players, and then the youth would be from age four to 13, and here is where we would develop the skillset and the mindset to be footballers,” Duckie said.

NOT JUST A SPORT

He continued: “I made this decision also because I want to do this while I have youthfulness. So I want to be able to impact the lives of these youths that are coming up. Football is not just a sport, it is a tool that I have used in the past to influence crime and criminal activities that take place in my community. Poor conduct of the youths, we can use football as a tool to change their mindset and their belief.

“Give them one common goal to fight for, something to think about every day. Too many youths are on the roadside with talent and they have too much energy at night, And they need to disperse that energy somewhere else, instead of being on the streets,” he said.

He disclosed that the plan is that while he will initially put up most of the funding, the objective is for St Mary Central Academy to be profitable through its operations, with the sale of players playing a major role.

job.nelson@gleanerjm.com