ST George’s College (StGC) football coach Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell has indentified the implementation of sport academies as a way of fostering development across the country.

Bell, who guided the ‘Light Blues’ to a glorious Under-19 schoolboy treble in the just-concluded season, hailed the impending St George’s College Sports Academy as a possible catalyst for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

“Having academies is the way to go. I know the JFF has talked about having an academy, but it is yet to get off the ground. Still, I don’t think this will be the only one. In Jamaica we have to get talented youngsters, put them in academies, teach them and hone their skills. The aim is to ultimately get them in big clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United,” he said at the StGC awards ceremony over a week ago.

In an article published in the Observer on January 11, 2012, St Elizabeth Technical football coach Andrew Edwards made a similar call and described the lack of sport academies as “gigantic void” in Jamaica.

Edwards mentioned the fact that certain schools have developed programmes and strategies in various sports, but opined that neither the government, private sector, nor respective national sporting associations have come forward to provide sufficient assistance.

Bell made it clear that he does not expect sport academies in high schools to suddenly cure Jamaica’s developmental shortcomings.

“I know this is a bit of contradiction, but though we (St George’s College) have started a sport academy, I don’t really think schools develop players. It’s the clubs or the national body that should do that. At the end of the day school is for schoolwork. We at St George’s are not thinking we are going to constantly churn out top-class players,” he explained.

Bell gave insights into the direction that a local football academy could take.

“I remember when (former technical director) Rene Simoes came here. I think we should have given him 40 of the best 15 or 16-year-old kids. Let him stay here for four years and I think it would be natural that we would be at every World Cup. We made it in 1998, but right now it’s a matter of maybe we will and maybe we won’t.

“The better countries in football, they all have academies and all the big clubs have academies. In schoolboy football, we have had outstanding players over the years, but how many of them made it to the professional level?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Bell welcomed the first camp of the non-residential academy during the upcoming Easter holidays, and charged that St George’s is well equipped to handle such an important undertaking.

“It’s going to take a lot of money, but we want to start as soon as possible so maybe by Easter we’ll have our first camp for a non-residential academy. The St George’s College Sports Council will run the planning of it.

“We have a great facility here at St George’s with Winchester Park and Emmett Park fields. We have decent infrastructure with changing rooms and we have a gym, so yes it’s great a place to start,” he said.

An inspired-looking Bell, who previously coached St George’s to the urban area Manning Cup championship in 1992, 2008 and 2009 to go with the 2011 title, shared that he wants the academy to be a lasting legacy and hailed his late brother Winthorpe ‘Jackie’ Bell as a great source of motivation.

“I want it to be huge and this is not only for St George’s students, but for youngsters across the island. My brother died in 1986 and I was living overseas and came home in that same year. Ever since I’ve been back I wanted to do something because I’ve never seen anyone who loved football like he did.

“I want to leave something lasting. I feel good that I have won competitions, but I want to look at youngsters and say I had those kids and look at where they are now. This is the way to go and if people have the money, I think they should get involved in youth football,” he concluded.

‘Jackie’ Bell and Dennis Ziadie, both Jamaican football icons, died in a motor vehicle accident in Guadalajara, Mexico in June 1986 after watching the Brazil versus France World Cup quarter-final game.

Incidentally, Ziadie was coach on the previous occasion that St George’s won the triple crown in 1984.