Campion’s Manning Cup growth years in the making

With his team on the verge of qualifying for the ISSA Manning Cup quarterfinals, Campion College's head coach Newton Sterling said the team's impressive showing in schoolboy football this season is the result of years of development in their football programme.

"The players are excited. Their parents and the people in the school community are very excited also," Sterling said.

Campion sit second in Group One of the second round with three points, trailing group leaders and defending Manning Cup champions Mona High on six.

The team is just one win away from advancing to the quarterfinals and Sterling said it would be a major achievement in his first-ever season as a coach in the Manning Cup.

"I, myself, am very excited because this is my first season coaching a Manning Cup team and to be in the second round and be on the verge of making the quarter finals, it is a big deal for us so we're very excited and taking it one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves."

He explained that the core members of his team had won the ISSA urban U16 title two years ago and that those players were then kept together as they rose up the age rankings, to now stand as one of the better teams in this season's competition.

Also, Sterling noted that Campion's partnership with the Kingston Football Academy (KFA) has paid dividends as their players are able to continue their development outside of the schoolboy football competitions.

"If persons are paying attention, then they would have seen that most of the boys were part of the U16 team that won the competition two years ago," Sterling stated.

"The link with KFA helps a lot and I think more schools should invest in partnerships like that because it helps the boys and their growth overall in football and in life itself. After schoolboy football, the academy still runs and they get to go to Europe, go to the US and playing in tournaments locally and internationally."

He continued, "It is really a great experience for the school and the boys' development on a whole."

Sterling also stated that their improvement in the Manning Cup did not come at the cost of academic success.

Campion has long stood as one of the premier high schools in Jamaica in regards to academics, a standard which is upheld by their current crop of players.

He said this is achieved by the parents taking an active role in the team's education to maintain the perfect balance between school and sports.

"I have boys in my teams with nine, 10 even 13 subjects so I know it is not easy. But it comes down to life as a whole. I think the boys are doing an excellent job with that," he said.

"It also comes with their parents who help out and monitor them and manage their workload. That is life on a whole, having to manage multiple things while trying to do what you love and chasing your dream at the same time."

Campion will play their final game of the second round today when they take on St Jago High with their quarterfinals ambitions on the line.

The match is set for GC Foster College and will kick off at 3 p.m.