-       Ged McNamee gives valuable advice to footballers travelling to Sunderland AFC

 Friday, September 18th 2009 – Kingston, Jamaica: Sunderland’s Academy of Light Manager, Ged McNamee, has advised the eight talented young footballers from the Digicel Kick Start Clinics to learn as much as they possibly can during their time at Sunderland so that they can develop their natural football skills under the guidance of some of the best coaches in the English Premier League.

Speaking about the upcoming visit by the Digicel Kick Start Clinics footballers, McNamee said: “The eight young footballers will be fully integrated into the day to day operation of Sunderland’s Academy of Light. We have an exciting training program lined up that is quite intense, but it will focus on the fitness, sports science and recovery aspect of the game. They will experience the same program that our students in the Academy go through.”

And as for what Sunderland will be looking out for in the eight footballers, McNamee said: “They will be treated like any other student in the Academy. We will be looking at their basic talent and technical ability. While we don’t expect the boys to have the same levels of fitness as the students in the Academy, the main aspect of the program will be to see if the talent is there and if there is the possibility to develop that talent further.”

As the boys prepare to fly to the UK on Friday, McNamee had some good advice to offer: “What I will say to each of the boys is to embrace the experience and work hard. When you are out on the pitch with the coaches, you must give it 100%. We want you to express yourselves, enjoy the experience and train with a smile. The main thing is to give it the best shot you can – you may not have an opportunity like this again so make sure it is a worthwhile experience.

“For those of you who have dreams of playing club football in Europe I will say this - football is no different than anything else. If your desire is to play football at a professional level, then you must train hard and put in the practice. The more you practice, the better your technique will be and this will get you noticed.”

The Digicel Kick Start Clinics footballers begin training at Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light on Monday, September 21st. The eight footballers were selected by England and Liverpool legend, John Barnes, from the Digicel Kick Start Clinics which kicked off in Jamaica in early May and visited Barbados, Suriname, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Kitts & Nevis.