YFL launches ‘Gears for Greatness’ initiative

As the mother of a young athlete, Youth Football League’s (YFL) operating manager Paula Pinnock is aware of the struggles parents face when it comes to buying sports gears. The YFL ‘Gears for Greatness’ was launched to reduce that cost by accepting donations of gears to be given to children to pursue their sporting dreams.

Speaking at the Junior Cup under-11 competition launch last weekend, Pinnock said the initiative is open to supportive parents and the public alike.

She encourages all to come out and donate football boots and shin guards to children who would otherwise be unable to afford their own.

“One of the initiatives that we actually launched today was our Gears for Greatness,” she said. “That is now going to allow us to operate even better. We’re encouraging persons that have kids that have grown out of their football boots and their shin guards to donate them.”

Pinnock said, with the large number of teams who register for the Junior Cup competitions, they often field players from various economic backgrounds.

This has resulted in players competing without the correct gears over the years, which leaves them at a disadvantage to their peers who are able to shoulder the financial burden.

Pinnock hopes, with the launch of their Gears for Greatness initiative, they can help bridge the financial gap and allow for young players to pursue their football dreams.

“We see too many kids coming out to play that don’t have the right football gears, and we know that there are cost factors for the parents,” she explained.

“We have prep schools and primary schools playing and we have some kids that can’t afford to change the boots every year, and some that simply can’t afford any. We want to try and level the playing field and we believe that this new initiative, the Youth Football League Gears for Greatness, should hopefully help us to bridge the gap.”

The YFL Under-11 Junior Cup eastern regionals was the first competition to implement their Gears to Greatness initiative, which Pinnock said was a successful launch.

As the competition continues today with the western regionals at Wes Pow Park in Montego Bay, Pinnock hopes more persons will come onboard and donate to the initiative.

Those interested can contact the YFL at their website www.youthfootballleagueja.com or call at (876) 849-7368.