Marley happy his football programme is keeping children off streets

When Ky-Mani Marley decided to form a football club in his native Falmouth, he wanted to do more than just continue his family's close affiliation with the beautiful game.

The Get High singer wanted to provide an avenue for the youths of the tourist town to lead a better life. And two years after he launched Falmouth United, Bob Marley's sixth son is already seeing his dream come to fruition.

"Before this (Falmouth United) came about, a lot of the youths were in the streets idle and the community centre on a whole took a lot of the youths off the streets in the day time because when school is over, we can have up to 50 pickney over here along with the team ," said Marley who helped to refurbish the Elletson Wakeland Community Centre where the team now hosts their home games.

"This is my community and a here so mi come from and so this is home. I come back to share some of the joy and some of the love and I am happy that I can open my arms and share."

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Marley, the son of Anita Belnavis, a former national table tennis champion, also equipped the centre with table tennis tables. "They (the youths) not only come here for football because those who can't play have access to table tennis as well," Marley said.

He continued: "For me, this was opportunity to give back although it has been a very expensive journey and a very rough journey by myself. But it is still where I find my joy because a bulk of my joy in my life is being able to give back and so when this opportunity presented itself, it was a no-brainer for me."

Marley is also known as maestro because of his deft touch with a football. His love for the sport runs deep as he played for his high school team and his Instagram account is rife with videos of him juggling the ball.

"Football was my first love because I know football before I know music," Marley said.

Falmouth United had an excellent campaign in the Western Confederation Super League last season, where they finished third.

"The vision for the club is of course the premier league because the vision can only mean to go to the top," said Marley.

"This season we have made the necessary changes and we have brought in some new players and a new coaching staff."