When a quartet of Portuguese club coaches from SL Benfica descend on the island for a six-day football camp starting on July 3, close to a dozen local youth coaches will be paying keen attention as they look to garner knowledge from the professional coaches.

Over 100 young, aspiring footballers ranging from ages six-17 will also get a chance to learn from the overseas coaches, with daily sessions set to be held at Sabina Park before 28 players will be selected to play in two games on the final day of the camp.

The initiative came about following the partnership with Nexus Global and Driftwood Dreams, which will see the coaches from Benfica imparting their knowledge locally as well as scouting for some of the island’s top talent.

The managing director of Sports Innovators Group (SIG), Paul Campbell, who has responsibility for organising the camp, says this initiative will go a far way in showcasing to our local coaches and players how elite football is run at the top level.

“It is part of SIG’s strategic approach to support the development of our young footballers and the sport as a whole. With the abundance of talent residing in our small island of Jamaica, we should find ways to expose our youngsters to more opportunities like this. SIG aims not only to showcase the talent we possess, but also to position Jamaica as a premier sporting destination,” said Campbell.

With Benfica being voted the world’s best academy by Global Soccer in 2019 and the Football Talent Scout Platform’s Academy of the decade in 2021, a few of the local coaches who will be a part of the camp are eager to pick the brains of the Portuguese coaches from Benfica, led by their Director of International School Programme, David Gomez.

“I want to have a first-hand experience of how academies at the elite level structure their daily activities,” said Garth Burke, coach of Belair High and Redemption Football Academy in Mandeville.

Burke believes the opportunity to see upfront how top clubs operate will be valuable to him in improving his players and his academy.

“This is an avenue for personal growth with regard to learning and development as a coach in the local system. I am also keen to learn how they go about developing talent at the elite level.”

St Elizabeth parish coach Ashory Green is also looking forward to the July 3 camp.

“I am sure a camp of this nature will develop our sports programme as it will enhance my knowledge and skills into becoming one of the best coaches in the football arena,” he said.

Jamaica will be the second stop for the Benfica coaches, having recently conducted a similar camp in Barbados.