MONTEGO BAY, St James — Hopeton Gilchrist, a top youth football coach and the coordinator of the VMBS St James Football, Association Under-13 football competition, has welcomed the Sandals Football Academy that will continue this morning at

Jarrett Park.

Gilchrist, who is one of five main instructors at the event that is expected to last 16 weeks, told the Jamaica Observer at last week’s launch, “This is the way to go”, if the young players are to be properly developed.

Last week 62 players, more than the 50 invited, turned out and were put through drills and taught the basics of the game by the instructors under the supervision of Gilchrist.

“Development is always the way to go and at this age group,” Gilchrist said. “To learn the basics, at age 14 players should be mastering certain skills as afterwards it will be hard for them to get it right.”

He was impressed with the level of skills he saw on show last weekend and Gilchrist said while there are some players who have not shown that level of skill, they won’t give up on them. “Some players do develop later and we have seen that, so we won’t turn anyone away.”

The instructors teach the youngsters the basics of the game through a variety of drills that see them learning to control, pass, dribble and head the ball properly.

The former coach at Cornwall College, Munro College and Mannings School lauded Sandals for taking the initiative to have this academy in collaboration with St James and said it will bear fruits in the near future.

“The academy is aimed at the players between the ages of 12 and 14, but we have some a bit older,” he said, adding that most were drawn from the schools taking part in the VMBS competition.

He pointed out that some of the participants in the academy had left the primary/prep school systems. “We have some that left the VMBS programme from last year, but we know who they are and their skills level, and they were invited as well.”