THE Jonathan Hibbert Foundation (JHF) has launched a campaign to address the poor academic performance of athletes trying to access tertiary education through sport scholarships.

To this end, it now hosts Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) preparation classes at the Edith Dalton-James High School in an effort to adequately prepare student athletes for the annual football tournament.

The foundation seeks to replicate the initiative started at Edith Dalton-James across the island and invites local sponsors to get on board to ensure the academic and athletic success of our future ambassadors, while honouring the words of Sir Alexander Bustamante, “The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity.”

JHF, a registered charity, has hosted an annual football tournament at Munro College, in St Elizabeth, for the past seven years with the specific goal of providing young athletes access to tertiary education through sport scholarships, with several success stories over the years.

Each year, coaches from colleges and universities across the United States of America (USA) are invited to observe the athletes at JHF’s tournament, and while the 2012 group of athletes was deemed the most talented to date, this group was deemed the least prepared from an academic standpoint.

The foundation — which was created in January 2003 to honour the memory of Jonathan ‘Johno’ Hibbert, who was tragically killed in a road traffic accident December 2002 — in Jamaica, has recognised the necessity for intervention, as a number of talented athletes try out each year, but are unable to take advantage of the opportunities due to poor academic performance.

In order to take advantage of the scholarships on offer, the student-athletes must have obtained a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 in high school, as these grades indicate how the students might perform at the tertiary level.

The SAT, which entails sections on writing, critical reading and mathematics, is also required for most US colleges and universities, and with proper guidance students can acquire a score of 900 or more in math and critical reading, which will further enable them to access scholarships and assist in the application for student visas.

Ideally, however, the athletes attending the tournament should have already taken, or be prepared to sit the SAT exams.

JHF hopes with the support of the local business community it can continue to provide student-athletes with valuable opportunities to advance to the highest level of their game.

The next football showcase is January 12 at Munro College, starting at 8:00 am.