The Mandeville Youth Sporting Academy, Mandeville Jamaica.
A Non For Profit, Academy
OBJECTIVE:
Jamaica possesses a wealth of natural sporting talent including speed, excellent hand-eye coordination and flexibility, which with proper training from a very early age can result in the development of world-class athletes in a range of sporting disciplines.
The Sports Academy: concept is currently being developed as the A Performance Unit in a holistic sports development model aimed at providing young Jamaican athletes with the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential in the sports of football, athletics, baseball, basketball, cricket, golf, netball and rugby. Academy members will be able to improve their skills and ability in their respective sport whilst at the same time learning responsibility, accountability, time management and other life skills – all aimed at advancing their personal development and overall career prospects.
Our initial target market will be young athletes primarily in the Central Jamaican region of Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Clarendon, an area that can be rightly considered one of the cradles of sports in Jamaica, where sporting talent abounds at a phenomenal rate and which has been manifested over the past century at the high school level at schools such as Manchester High School, DeCarteret College, Holmwood Technical, Glenmuir High, Clarendon College, Spalding High, Belfield High, Vere Technical and Edwin Allen High, Lacovia, Black River, B.B Coke, St. Elizabeth Technical, Munro College and others.
Our aim will be to identify, support and develop targeted High Performance Athletes with an emphasis on ensuring that each individual learns the proper fundamentals of their respective sport from a very young age. They will be carefully guided and mentored along Elite Athlete Development Pathways through to the professional level, which will hopefully result in athletes representing their country at both the junior and senior levels, as well as achieving successful professional careers in his/her sport.
Coaching
Instruction will be provided by a team of well qualified and experienced Jamaican and international coaches.
Sport Science Support
Trained sports medicine practitioners will both lecture and provide practical training to athletes in the following areas:
Fitness Physiology
Psychology Biomechanics
Individual Guidance
Based on individual assessment/evaluation, we will help athletes to progress in the area(s) which need the most improvement. Every Academy member will be provided with an Individual Performance Plan (IPP) based on their needs involving specialized and/or position-specific coaching and technical/tactical instruction, which encompasses the following:
Action planning, progress reviews
Conditioning Program
Nutrition Guidance
Video Analysis
End-of-Semester progress report
Life Skills & Leadership/Character Building
A critical component of the work of the Academy will be to ensure that we assist all our Academy members prepare for life as a professional athlete and beyond in areas such as:
Communication
Conversational Spanish
Accountability
Conversation/Interview Skills
Personal Responsibility
Organization/Time Management
Career Guidance
Academy members will be given career guidance and mentoring in their respective sport along Athlete Development Pathways. In addition, they will be also provided with educational support and advice, including placement in local high schools and liaison with tertiary providers re their individual needs as required.
Professional Development Qualifications
In addition to developing their athletic prowess, Academy members can also take advantage of the opportunity to attain professional certification in a number of areas. Professional development qualifications will be available in:
Coaching
Refereeing
Treatment of Injuries/Sports Therapy
Sport Administration
Dormitory Complex
Already in place in Mandeville, Manchester (the major town in Central Jamaica) is a Dormitory Complex which will be used by the Sports Academy which can host two teams, forty (40) beds, as well as Four (4) Luxury rooms for Management Staff.
SPORT PROGRAMMES
The Sports Academy will eventually feature eight sport programs:
FOOTBALL CRICKET NETBALL BASEBALL ATHLETICS
RUGBY BASKETBALL GOLF SWIMMING
Specialized Training:
Young athletes entering any of the programs at the Academy will be given an initial assessment/evaluation. Based on that individual assessment/evaluation, we will create a tailor-made Individual Performance Plan (IPP) geared towards helping each athlete to progress in the area(s) which need the most improvement. Every Academy member will be continually evaluated throughout their time at the Academy and will be provided with appropriate sport-specific specialized and/or position-specific coaching and technical/tactical instruction in an encouraging learning environment.
Athletic and Professional Development:
Academy members will also be offered Athletic and Personal Development training that will facilitate improvement in areas such as strength, speed, endurance, injury prevention, nutrition and leadership.
Professional-Quality Facilities and State-of-the-Art Equipment
The Academy will also feature excellent facilities/equipment and the use of cutting-edge technology.
We will also liaison with local employers to seek out and provide employment opportunities for Academy members.
Centrally Located
The Dormitory Complex is in close proximity to the Manchester Parish Council’s (MPC) Brooks Park Facility (38.5 acres held in trust by the MPC on behalf of the citizens of Manchester) and within walking distance of the Town of Mandeville. It is within walking distance of Central Mandeville (inclusive Mega Mart), and is owned by the James Family. It has been earmarked to start the Sports Academy by housing its football facility.
ACADEMY INFRASTRUCTURE
A key component in the creation of the Business Plan for the Academy will be the development of appropriate infrastructure/facilities. In the initial stages, the Academy will seek to develop long-term MOUs with schools, clubs, parish associations for the use of existing sporting and housing facilities within the Central Jamaica region primarily in and around the Mandeville area central Jamaica and its immediate environs to start the activities of the Academy.
However, from inception one of our major priorities will be to identify appropriate lands (for example private, government or parish council owned lands) suitable for construction of the Headquarters for the Academy including the development of appropriate multi-use playing fields, gymnasium and indoor playing facilities, dormitories as well as a medical clinic and an administrative building.Our vision is to develop a High Performance Facility which will be used primarily by Academy members, but will also be able to house national teams as well as international-level athletes in training for major regional and international competitions. The Academy can also host visiting professional and/or national teams for spring/winter training. The type of facility that we envision is somewhat similar to the Olympic Training Facility in Salinas, Puerto Rico (suitably modified to fit the needs of our Academy).
MYSO Training Centers (TC’s)
Another innovation of the Sports Academy will be the creation of world class Training Centres (TC’s) affiliated with the Academy and located strategically across the island. TC’s can be sport-specific or multi-sport training centers with the requisite playing fields/indoor courts, gym and equipment. The TC’s will have to adhere to exacting performance, technical and financial/administrative checks and balances in order to be affiliated with the Academy’s program – but they are a critical component in the development of the goals and objectives of the Academy.
Facilities which are targeted by the Academy for conversion and utilization as TC’s are the following:
Existing –
- The loan of all school facilities under our MOU with schools, whenever convenient to schools.
- The JISCO Sports Center at Nain St. Elizabeth
- The SDC Center at Santa Cruz (beside STETHS) with the aid of the St Elizabeth Football Association.
- A Treasure Beach Academy, beside the existing Police Training School (formerly Olde Wharf Hotel).
- Brooks Park in Mandeville (hopefully with the support of the Manchester Football Association)
The existing “ 6-A-Side” artificial turf complex in the center of Mandeville (in James Warehouse Complex) —built at a costing of J$6M
Hanbury football field
TO BE BUILT (2 YEARS) APPROXIMATELY— grass field of international standards
Mandeville
1) Improved 6 A-side complex with improved FIFA artificial turf on James owned land above Megamart. Also to include a gym and a home ( new dormitory’s primarily for Women’s Football).
Clarendon
Lease or build field near highway roundabout at May Pen.
St. Elizabeth
Approach government to develop facility at Gilnock (opposite Wilton Crossing) near Santa Cruz.
Above won’t be built by government or private sector but hopefully, if we, show initiative we will get their support to complete.
Dorm Rooms
This facility will be positioned to be the major home for sports in Central Jamaica. It has hosted several International Football Teams, as well as teams from a plethora of other sports, including Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Youth Tournaments, Jamaica’s National Senior and Youth Cricket Teams, International Netball Teams and a host of School Teams.