Former J’can youth striker has big dreams

Former Jamaica youth footballer Kevon Farquharson is eyeing a national senior team call-up.

Farquharson, who represented Jamaica at the Caribbean Football Union Under-20 qualifying tournament, scoring twice in three games, also wants to see a team from his parish, St Elizabeth, in the nation’s top-flight league.

“I hope to help get a team from St Elizabeth to the Premier League, and see if I can get back healthy and make the Jamaica senior team,” he said.

Farquharson said he brings plenty of experience and leadership to St Bess FC and that he is “really enjoying it”.

The 25-year-old recently returned to Jamaica after completing university and a short stint playing in developmental leagues in the US.

“It was a good experience,” he said of the seven years in the US. “It was a bit hard because I had no family there, but it was worth everything.”

Farquharson played for Campbellsville University and Mount Mercy University, two schools in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

“I scored 18 goals at Mount Mercy University from 18 games and was ranked seventh in the USA that year (2014),” he recalled.

Farquharson said his successful season almost got him a tryout in Sweden, but he lost his passport and could not travel.

Since then, he did two surgeries on his knee, which pushed him back.

After completing his university career, Farquharson said he played in the Professional Development League in Iowa before moving to play for Weston FC in Florida.

“It was a good experience. The league is pretty challenging,” said Farquharson, who graduated with a degree in social work.

Farquharson only started playing football in high school, as his primary school, Park Mountain, didn’t have a football field at the time.

He was playing in his community when he was spotted by then St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) coach Kirk Brooks, who invited him to join the programme.

Farquharson was a star at STETHS. After playing for the under-14 and under-16 teams, he further impressed for the daCosta Cup team.

He scored 18 goals in the 2010 season and 27 goals in 2011. He remembered scoring hat-tricks against Newell, DeCarteret College and Maggotty in 2011.

The only daCosta Cup game in which he didn’t score was the 2011 final, which they lost to Rusea’s 0-1.

In 2008, Farquharson travelled with the Essex Valley team to the Norway Cup football tournament and missed the golden boot (leading scorer) by a goal.