MONTEGO BAY, St James — THE Sandals Football Academy (SFA) has seen remarkable success in its relatively short run over the past 12 weeks.

The programme, which started in May, has produced nine players who have caught the eye of national Under-15 Coach Aaron Lawrence.

The nine players, who represent the best of St James’ young footballers, were chosen from the Academy’s pool of over 50 players.

The players, Arnel Forbes, Garnet Hudson, Calwayne Allen, Denyu Ricketts, Antonio Ramson, Tavin Shaw, Richard Thompson, Robert Evans and Calvin Gardner had their first trial session last week Wednesday, with representatives from the national Under-15 programme.

“Our boys looked good out there and I’m confident that some, if not all of them, will end up making the squad,” stated St James Football Association head and SFA organiser Gregory Daley after the tryouts. “We could see the technical parts of their games that we’ve been working on for the past couple weeks at play; it was a proud moment.”

The growth of the boys at the academy has been on display before, when they won the All-Island Grassroots competition in Kingston on June 21 by defeating Trelawny 2-1. They also played the Reggae Girls on May 31 in a practice match and were able to hold their own against the senior women.

“This group of players are the future of local football and Sandals’ commitment to their growth through this programme means that the future will be a bright one,” Daley argued.

Held on a weekly basis at Jarrett Park in Montego Bay, 20 local coaches put the young boys and girls through their paces, teaching them the skills required to succeed in the sport, including fitness, technique, teamwork and nutrition.

The academy is expected to continue next year with the possibility of international coaches being invited to participate.