By: Curtis Morton
Monday 15th July saw the opening of the 9th annual Eddy Richards Football coaching clinic. A brief but impressive ceremony was held at the usual venue, the St.Thomas’ Primary School grounds.
The ceremony was chaired by Richards himself who commenced with the Lord’s prayer and some relevant scripture references and very early in the proceedings initiated a minute’s silence in the memory of the late fallen female Football star, Tesril Nisbett who he indicated, was the first female to be a part of his program and was not only instrumental in getting other girls to sign up for the program but later returned to assist the younger players in the capacity of a coach.
He thanked his sponsors warmly and thanked his wife, Janice for being his motivating force.
Also addressing the gathering was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Mr. Keith Glasgow. He congratulated the participants for choosing to be a part of such a program and pointed to some of the benefits of Football and sports in general. He pointed to such aspects as educational; financial; ethical; and health benefits.
He also congratulated Richards on his initiative and wished him continued success with the program.
President of the Nevis Football Association, Mr. George BRIGO Meade also lauded the efforts of Richards and told the participants that the clinic provided an opportunity to learn and develop their skills in the game.
He advised the participants to be on their best behavior, listen carefully, pay attention and ask questions. ‘That is how you will learn,’ he stressed.
Minister of Sports, Hon. Mark Brantley was proud to remind those present that along with Mr. Andy Liburd and Nevis Multi Line, he was among the first to get on board to sponsor the program, as he saw the benefits to be derived for the children.
‘Call me next year and every year after that. As long as I have health and strength and I am able, I pledge my continued support to this program,’ he told Richards.
He implored the participants to also focus on the health benefits of such a program.
‘I am also the Minister of Health so I am concerned that you get the necessary exercise through programs such as these. I want you to eat right. You have the potential to be anything that you want to be,’ he said.
He also told them of available scholarships towards furthering their educational pursuits which are available through Football and other sports and asked them to learn well and excel at whatever they were involved in.
Richards wrapped up the proceedings by thanking all of the sponsors for their significant contributions and promised that the two week clinic will live up to its established high standards.