MONTEGO BAY, St James — The 15th annual staging of the SOS Children’s Village Rose Hall Football Camp ended on a high at the Rose Hall 18th Century Aqueduct with the traditional awards ceremony on Friday.

Nearly 100 youth from the SOS Children’s Village facilities in both Barrett Town in St James and in Kingston, who participated in the week-long programme, received their participation certificates.

The programme focused on training participants in the rudiments of football dribbling, controlling, kicking, passing and heading — as well as the importance of teamwork and character-building activities.

The camp was conducted under the watchful eyes of an impressive line-up of former Reggae Boyz and some of the island’s best coaches, including Aaron Lawrence, former Reggae Boyz goalkeeper and current coach for the Real Madrid School of Social Integration; Under-15 Reggae Boyz coach, Fabian Davis, a former Reggae Boyz midfielder and defender; and his assistant coach, Gregory Stewart; Linval Wilson, former Reggae Boyz captain and coach of the Lacovia High School football team; Granville ‘Papa’ Clarke, who serves as Grange Hill’s coach. Also, among the coaches were Fabienne Davis, Ally Weaver, Natasha Groves, Jessica Arthur, and Mikey Marietta.

Among the highlights of the award ceremony was the presentation of the Georgia Weaver Scholarship, valued at some $500,000, to Tia Dickens for studies at the University of the West Indies. Weaver is a long- time benefactor and friend of the village.

This year’s event was organised by Marc Rollins and his wife Ashlee in conjunction with Rose Hall Developments Limited. Marc, who committed to the continuation of the programme, labelled it as “one of the most meaningful charitable events for Rose Hall”.

“This camp is undeniably the highlight of the summer for the children, who are treated to a week of great football, fun activities, some snazzy sports gear, and culminates on (last) Saturday with a Beach Bar-B-Que for the villagers,” Marc Rollins remarked.

Meanwhile, Lawrence, who has been a part of the programme over the years, also pledged his continued support.

“I will be a part of the programme as long as I can go on,” Lawrence told the Jamaica Observer West, adding that he was elated to see the improvement in the behaviour of the campers over the years.

At Friday’s awards ceremony, Spanish ambassador to Jamaica and president of the Spanish-Jamaican Foundation, Josep Bosch heralded the accomplishments of the young campers.

And Sandro Fabris, general manager of the Half Moon Resort, which accommodated the coaches during the programme, lauded the efforts of the coaches and coordinators of the camp for their influence on Jamaica’s children.

“Hosting the coaches at Half Moon and providing lunches for the Villagers was our absolute pleasure. These children are Jamaica’s future,” Fabris said.

Meanwhile, Rollins family matriarch, Michele, commented on the awesome support for the annual event from the community.

“The success of this event is a real testimony to corporate Montego Bay working together to develop the children of Jamaica. We could never do this without the help of our friends from CPJ, Hospiten, Iberostar, Hilton Hotel, Half Moon Hotel, Melia Braco, Signature Cakes and Desserts, Jamaica Tours Ltd, Megamart, Tastee, Scotchies, Pure National Ice, Exclusive Hospitality Security and the committed and hardworking staff of Rose Hall Development,” she stated.