TOTAL Football Academy (TFA) has been awarded a $650,000 grant from Digicel Foundation, giving the grass roots programme a significant boost as it continues developing young talent.

The academy won the foundation’s “Show Your Skills and Score” social media challenge, which invited school football teams, community clubs, and academies to post a video showcasing their team’s skills for a chance to win a grant. TFA emerged victorious, securing over 1,000 organic likes on Instagram.

Charmaine Daniels, chief executive officer of Digicel Foundation, said the timing of the contest was deliberate, designed to ride the wave of excitement generated by the World Cup tournament. “Football has a unique way of uniting people, and the whole world was watching the World Cup with such passion. We wanted to channel that same energy back into our own communities, where the next generation of footballers is being shaped every day. A lot of young players look up to these World Cup athletes, and they dream of one day representing their own countries on that same stage,” she said.

Daniels added that the grant reflects the foundation’s long-standing commitment to sport as a tool for social development. “Throughout the years, we have consistently supported grassroots programmes because we’ve seen firsthand what it does for young people. It teaches discipline, teamwork and resilience. It keeps children engaged and out of harm’s way. Most importantly, it brings communities together.”

Founder and director of TFA Raymond Leveridge said the grant comes at a pivotal moment for the Academy’s growth. “We are incredibly grateful to Digicel Foundation for this opportunity and for believing in what we’re building here. This grant will help us provide proper gear for our players, cover training expenses and support critical areas like nutrition and hydration that are often overlooked but so important to a young athlete’s development. We’ll also be able to purchase much-needed equipment that will elevate the quality of training we can offer,” he said.

Leveridge also spoke to the academy’s mission and the communities it serves. “We are an academy with a very diverse demographic. A large number of our players come from inner-city communities and less fortunate backgrounds where access to structured, quality football programmes isn’t always guaranteed. For many of these young people, TFA is a safe space, and a support system. This grant allows us to remove some of the barriers that stand between our players and their potential and that means everything to us,” he said.

Digicel Foundation offers two grant programmes: the Mek A Muckle grant, which provides up to $650,000 in funding for small projects and the Build Jamaica grant, which supports larger programmes with up to $2,000,000 in funding. To learn more about Digicel Foundation grants, visit www.digicelfoundation.org/jm/en.