Nico Distributors has donated thousands of footballs and golf kits to youth programmes in and around St James, in an official ceremony held at the Brewery in Montego Bay on Tuesday.

Approximately 40,000 football kits, including not just footballs, but shin pads, pumps and gloves were donated by Safeway through Nico to programmes staged by the Institute of Sport (INSPORTS), the St James Football Association, and several schools in Montego Bay. In addition, 3,000 junior and adult golf sets were donated to the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) and SuperClubs, for their Tiger Woods Foundation summer golf camp for outh.

“The programme has as its theme, ‘Keeping the kids safe this summer’, and will see us handing over letters of commitment for the free distribution of 40,000 footballs into Jamaican schools and sports clubs,” announced Robert Joseph, managing director of Nico. “Clearly, the extent of the donations will take us far beyond the summer months for many years to come. We expect the benefits will be felt nationally in the longer term.”

INSPORTS will receive 25,000 football kits; the St James FA 5,000; Montego Bay schools another 5,000; St James police youth clubs 1,000, and the Public Defender’s office 500 football kits for his inner-city community programme. The St James schools to benefit are Cambridge, Cornwall College, Herbert Morrison Technical, Albion Primary, Mount Salem Primary, Barrett Town All-Age, Granville All-Age, Lethe All-Age, Somerton All-Age, Anchovy Primary, Barracks Road Primary, Catherine Hall Primary, Chetwood memorial Primary, Corinaldi Primary, Flankers Primary and Howard Cooke Primary.

Balmain Brown of the JGA was appreciative of the donation, which he said would be used in their youth and caddies development programmes.

“We have a lot of caddies who play excellent golf, but we have to pay urgent attention to their academic achievements. Caddies are the clubs’ ambassadors, and they need to raise their educational levels.”

The junior golf sets will go towards the summer camp put on by SuperClubs, for whom Suzette Smith-Burgess said that now each child will be able to use his own clubs, instead of sharing with several other children.