Picking ballers from the grassroots

In a bid to unearth and develop new football talents, two Hanover citizens have joined forces in staging the Hanover Primary Schools Under-12 football competition.

"We are for development and we have not been seeing the kind of development that really needs to drive the parish where football is concerned," said coordinator Yahkeen Malcolm.

"Hanover has not been having enough Under-12 football competitions in the parish, so we see the initiative to deal with this issue and to guarantee the future of the sport," explained Malcolm.

"From what I've seen, the youth have been struggling with some of the basics of football. This highlights the underdeveloped nature of the sport in Hanover."

Malcolm, who is a coach and referee, is supported by Seivewright Meggoe, a sports officer of the Institute of Sport in Hanover.

They men said they have discovered some outstanding talents, particularly in the recent season that saw 18 schools participating in the competition, which concluded last Monday. St Simon Primary defeated Esher Primary School 4-3 on penalties to lift the championship trophy.

Meggoe said that football provides an important avenue for the development and socialisation of youngsters. "It causes them to come together, know each other and get to relate within the discipline of the sport, and they can then use that as a vehicle to take them to a next level," he said.

Though the two men have been running the annual competition without any outside sponsorship, they are hoping this might change next year.