The six young, aspiring footballers who recently trained at the Manchester City FC Academy were given the opportunity of a lifetime to see their first-ever live English Premier League match in the Etihad Stadium last Wednesday.

The youngsters watched the thrilling match between Manchester City FC and Everton FC. This formed part of their Digicel Kick Start Manchester City experience, which saw them training with coaches from global football powerhouse Manchester City FC, as well as experience what it is like to be a professional footballer.

Football fans back home have been following the boys exploits in Manchester through Digicel’s live coverage of the Academy on

Digicel SportsMax Caribbean, through theLOOP news app, and also through coverage on TV and theJamaica Observer in the region. The match, while ending in a stalemate, gave the boys an opportunity to see first-hand how the techniques that their coaches have been teaching them are applied on the field in a highly competitive environment and to the deafening cheers from thousands of spectators.

Digicel Kick Start Academy player Alain Skerritt commented: “The Manchester City FC first team played the exact same way that our coaches have been training us. So I was excited to see how players like Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero were putting what we learned into practice in a real-life English Premier League game. Watching them play inspired me and motivates me even more to continue my training and to continue improving, even after I leave the Manchester City FC Academy.”

Over the course of the week-long training camp, the six players from across the Caribbean were taken through intense training under the guidance of the Manchester City FC coaches, who have given the players a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live like English Premier League footballers for a week.

Digicel Group director of marketing operations, Kieran Foley, said: “When we see these young players making their mark at the Manchester City FC training camp, it is heart-warming to see them moving one step closer to realising their dreams. No doubt, it must be the same for their parents who are eagerly watching their progress, thanks to the coverage on Digicel’s content platforms, including

SportsMax TV,LOOP news, and through ourFacebook pages. We are excited to bring this content to our customers, and to their family and friends back home who are proudly watching their progress in Manchester.”