Waterhouse FC youth footballers are now in Florida preparing to participate in the inaugural Inter Miami CF Dreams Cup, which kicks off from May 23 to 26 across several venues in Broward County.

Formerly known as the Youth International Cup, the prestigious youth tournament will be held primarily at the Florida Blue Training Center, home to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami CF.

The move is a major milestone for Waterhouse and the broader Jamaican football community. The club has assembled a squad of promising young talents from multiple age groups, ranging from Under-13 to Under-17, who are now set to showcase their skills on an international platform.

“This is a big move for the Waterhouse Football club and the community,” said Dawson. “This team that we have that is going to participate in the Dreams Cup in Florida, we have a lot of different age groups from Under-13 players to Under-17.”

“We also have an overseas player from Guyana, Riley, playing for Waterhouse now and so this is a good move now for these youths to get the exposure to play football outside of Jamaica and to experience football on an international platform,” he said.

Among the rising stars is Riley Ketwaroo, a dynamic winger from Guyana who attends Kingston College. Riley recently joined Waterhouse and is already making an impression.

“I am very confident and excited to be a part of the Waterhouse team,” said Ketwaroo. “Heading into this tournament in Miami, I am expecting good things. We have all trained hard, our coaches have prepared us well and now we are ready to give it everything for our club and our countries.”

Ketwaroo’s sentiment was also echoed by his team Tavaughn Barrett, a talented midfielder from Jamaica College.

“I am feeling very confident that we can perform well and take home this cup,” Barrett said. “We have been training intensely and our recent practice matches show that we are ready. Every player believes in the team and we are all going out there to give it our best.”

Waterhouse’s participation in the tournament comes amid a significant boost in financial support for their youth program. Tankweld Limited, a long-time sponsor of the club, recently increased its sponsorship from $2.4 million to $3.6 million annually.

Bruce Bicknell, Managing Director of Tankweld, emphasised the importance of investing in youth football.

“It is important to nurture and invest in the youth but the long term vision and return on this investment is to provide the best coaching and opportunities for these youth players to improve and develop into players who can play in Jamaica Premier League in the future,” said Bicknell. “For them to be the best players to get opportunities in top clubs worldwide.”

– Robert Bailey