The Under 17 Boys National Football Team will be travelling to Cayman Brac this Friday, June 10, for an intense three-day training camp in preparation for the first round of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Under 17 World Cup Playoffs, which are scheduled for July 20 – 24, 2016 at a venue still to be determined.

With the generous assistance from Harold Sanford, the Under 17 National Team will participate in several morning, afternoon and evening sessions at the Cayman Brac Sports Field, which will include two practice games against opposition from the Brac.

In addition, the Under 17 coaching staff, which includes Ernie “Gillie” Seymour, Head Coach; Ken Downey, Assistant Coach; Antwan Seymour, Assistant Coach and Manager; and Luis Morejon, Goal keeper Coach, will be conducting camps with youngsters from the Brac who participate in the CUC Primary Football League (PFL) and the CIFA Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 leagues.

The Under 17 coaching staff will be using this training camp to take a closer look at the 30 players competing for a spot in the squad of 24 that will be travelling to Sunrise, Florida in July for the final training camp before the Under 17 World Cup Playoffs later that month. From that training camp in Florida, the final team of 20 players will be selected.

Joining up with the squad in Florida will be three players who currently attend school in the United States and the United Kingdom, namely Corey Mellaneo, Kameron Mendez and Ricardo Damasso.

Commenting on preparations for the team, Head Coach Ernie Seymour said, “Preparations are going well. Players are now working on how to function in their specific roles defensively and offensively. Improving the players’ fitness level will be a priority for the upcoming training camp in the Brac. Our players are at a disadvantage as the fitness levels within our domestic leagues are nowhere near what is required at the international level.

Diet and rest are two other essential elements for our players to take seriously and we have already implemented a proper nutrition guide within the programme. We look forward to visiting the Brac this weekend but it will not be a vacation for the players.”

Along with weekly training sessions, preparations so far have included a five-day training camp during the Easter school break in March at the Annex Field and two practice games against the visiting Under 15 academy teams from DC United and Orlando SC that participated in the recent Cayman Airways Invitational Youth Tournament in May. The opportunity to play the two professionally-based academies came about following their failure to advance to the semi finals of the tournament.

Winners from the first round of the CFU Under 17 World Cup Playoffs in July will advance to the final round of the CFU Under 17 World Cup Playoffs scheduled for September 18 – 25, 2016, with a chance to qualify for the CONCACAF Under 17 World Cup Qualifiers in February 2017. Four countries from CONCACAF will qualify for the 17th edition of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup Finals to be played in India in September and October 2017.

For further information on the Under 17 Boys National Football Programme and how you can assist with getting them to the first round of the Under 17 Playoffs, please contact Antwan Seymour at 925-7407, Neil Murray at 925-8793 or via e-mail at [email protected].