Dwight Yorke attends youth football tourney
U13 girls champions Sunset FC with Dwight Yorke
(CNS Local Life): Former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke and the FA Cup made an appearance at the second Academy Sports Club Mini Slam Cup held on Monday, 23 January at the Academy Field. The event featured a seven-a-side tournament with three age groups: U11 boys, U13 boys and U13 girls. More than 200 youngsters participated, playing in 32 matches as well as hearing tips from Yorke, a Tobagonian player who helped lead Manchester United to their treble victory in 1999 when they won the English Premier League, European Cup and FA Cup titles.
Cayman Prep were the champions of the U11 boys tournament, with Future FC runners up. The U13 boys tournament was an Academy sweep, with the Jaguars Panthers first and second, respectively. Sunset FC were the champions of the U13 girls tournament, with Savannah Tigers FC taking home silver.
Players and fans also were able to view the FA Cup as it tours the Caribbean courtesy of telecoms provider Flow.
“It was an amazing day and Academy is grateful to Flow for their sponsorship and support of the Mini Slam Cup,” said Paul Byles, U13/U15 oach at Academy. “Having a prominent player like Dwight Yorke here, as well as the FA Cup, was very inspiring for our players.”
After the Mini Cup, Academy’s U17 team also had a chance to show off their skills as they took on Montego Bay United FC in an exhibition match. Montego Bay claimed victory in that match despite Academy putting up a good fight.
“We hope to continue hosting these Mini Slam Cups in the future,” Byles said. “It is a great opportunity for Cayman’s younger players to play in an organised format and improve their skills in a positive and encouraging environment.”
Other awards presented on the day were Jaxon Cover (U11 boys), Immanuel Duran (U13 boys) and Molly Kehoe (U13 girls) for leading goal scorer and Caleb Frederick of Future FC, Chad Owens of ASC Panthers and Ashanti Mellaneo of Tigers FC for fair play.
