FC international’s special free one-day camp

By Christopher Tobutt

Every summer, hundreds of kids from all over Cayman come to FC International’s Football Summer Camp. Lots of volunteers join forces to make sure Cayman’s Kids are each made to feel extra-special, as they learn football skills and good sportsperson-ship that they themselves learned. It’s all about passing all that good stuff on to the next generation, while making sure that the kids have plenty of fun and make new friends. Usually, the week-long camps are held in each district, one after the other, but there are also special, one-day camps for any kids who might have got left out, and on Saturday 11 September the camp was held at Theoline L McCoy Primary School, with at least one more planned for North Side.

FC International’s Technical Director, Elbert McLean said, “Every year we do the FC international football camp for one week, and then we come to Bodden Town for one day. But today’s a special day, because its FC International in conjuction with Bodden Town Football Club, and I’m part of Bodden Town Football Club. We have some Premier Players with Bodden Town Football Club.”

At one end of the smart Astroturf football field, a long line of kids were taking it in turns to shoot for the goal, just like the stars they’ve seen on the TV. They were seeing who could score the most goals in three minutes and they were having lots of fun. At the other end of the field, some very young kids were learning how to dribble. Then it was time for a bowl of fruit and a drink of fruit punch or ice-cold water, which was great in the hot sun. One of the volunteers, Cassandra was serving each of the kids with a plateful of pineapple chunks mixed with watermelon, and grapes. “I want to help because it’s great for the kids to get out, especially with all that is going on, they need a minute to just be kids,” she said. Although his little girl was not participating today, because she was not feeling very well, her son, Izaiah, was. “It’s a passion for him, because he aspires to be a professional footballer one day. It definitely helps him with his skill set,” she said.

Another aspiring football star, 10 Year old Kayden Moore said, “I like to come here because it’s in my blood, to play football, and my dad Kevin Moore, was a big footballer who got into the newspaper a long time ago. I like that I have got a lot of coaches to help me when I am struggling. Like if I am running laps and getting tired, well, they run with me.”

FC international’s President, Kennedy Ebanks, said, “Numbers are good, and we are pleased with the turnout for this one-day camp despite the little bit of rain this morning. We have a few kids from ROMA here, and I want to say a special thank-you to them, and I also want to tell all the sponsors, “thank you, thank you for the years they have been supporting us, and also to the parents and almighty god for giving us good health.”

The next football camp will be held at the Sir John Cumber Primary school, West Bay on October 23, 2021 from 9am to 1pm.