My name is Antonnie Walker and I along with my colleague Reuben Tomlinson and 4 other coaches run a very succesful community club called Handsworth United FC in Birmingham, England of which the age groups ranges from U12's to U16's. We're all FA qualified coaches at different levels. Reuben is scout for West Bromwich Albion FC and I myself for Birmingham City FC. Previously I was with Stoke City FC. For the 4 - 5 years we have noticed a distinct trend if you like, of young Black & Mixed Race boys of West Indian descent being taken into the various academies at the respective academies who could not ignore the talents these lads possess in their early age (10 - 13), however whenever these lads get to the age of 16 when it's time to offer contracts, time and time again the various top clubs produce all the excuses and reasons under our Lord's sun why they cannot offer these lads contracts. You may have noticed and if you haven't as yet I invite you look a little closer, that there are a few clubs mainly in the lower divisions and just a couple in the top divion who have a more than healthy rosta of Black players but on a whole the majority of the top divisions have a distinct lack of Black players on their rosta. Many of the Black players in these top division clubs hail from the African contitent or France. Does this meann that the young Black playerts in this country are not good enough? Well I sincerely don't believe so and I have seen many very talented young English Black lads who at the age of 16 don't get that contract he's been aiming and striving to get for the past 3, 4 or 5 years then is left by the wayside. The lucky ones who have the support that is required at those times manage to continue with their career at clubs either in the lower professional leagues or in the semi-professional leagues. Now here is where I believe we can work together and achieve two aims. I propose the JFF take a look at the huge crop of massively talented young lads of Jamaican parentage that are in the big club academies with a view of integrating them into your international youth system. These are players that will have been in the various academies, have had the benefit of excellent coaching methods and techniques. Taking these lads would do the following:
1. Significantly strengthen the various Jamaica Youth Squads 2. Provide a platform for a more than strong and competent full international squad in the next 5 years 3. Give these young men the exposure they need to help their career to excel 4. Significantly raise even more than it is the profile of Jamaican football. 5. The chance to create at the youth stage an integration of Jamaican flair and the English hard working style direct style.
I'm sure there are and will be much more positives and benefits that can emerge from such an initiative however we're more concerned with the ones listed above. We are aware that at senior level the merging of the two styles have been in process for a while with its most fruitive moment being in 1998. However what we at Handsworth United FC are proposing is a more rigid, sustainanble, constructed method which will surely bare fruit by the next two world cups. It would be our honour if a representative from your Federation would meet with us to discuss this matter and its posibilities. At present we have access to five young men four of whom are 16 years old and have just finished their exams and the other lad is 14 yrs old and a sure star of the future. At the moment 3 of the 16 year olds are at Birmingham City FC Academy and MK Dons is very interested in them. The other lad has just been released by West Brom (as per the situation I explained above), however I have gained him a trial at MK Dons as well. The 14 yr old has just left Stoke City FC and on his way to Birmingham City FC. So as you can see these are young men who have been in good clubs and I assure you are very talented. These bunch of lads comprise of 2 strikers a central midfielder and 2 defenders.
I sincerely hope you consider mine and my colleagues proposal and at least agree to contact and/or meet with us. If you would like to view what our club is about then you can log on to: http://www.myspace.com/handsworth_unitedfc. My details are below. Thank you.
Regards
Antonnie Walker Handsworth United FC U13's Manager Work: 01562-733-039 Mobile: 07894-326-260 email: misswalkerson@msn.com antonnie.walker@communityhg.com
Not a bad idea. The JFF could even send some of our youth players to work with that organization. Question's came to mind. Are they trying to use Jamaica as another option to launch these kids career?
