Cayman Athletic Sports Club are aiming high and with the help of Julian Wood and Hon. Mike Adams they are already going places.

Mr. Wood, the owner of Central Cooling, and the Hon. Mike Adams, elected member for the district of George Town and Minister of Community Affairs and Housing, have been supporting the five football teams while they press towards the goal.

“I know a lot of the parents in these teams and I wanted to do something positive for the kids. I used to play and Coach Gillie was my coach too. Central Cooling have sponsored the club and I have helped find the funding for the running of the teams and the uniforms from other local businesses.” Said Mr. Wood.

Within the five Cayman Sports Club teams there are over 100 boys and there are even plans to start a girls team in the near future.

But Coach Ernie Seymour, also known as Coach Gillie, says that to cover the demand to play, there is the need for more coaches.

“We need the older guys to start giving back to the game. If past national players, guys that have been on soccer scholarships or coaching courses have got anything at all from the game then they should be coming back to help,” said Coach Gillie.

The U-17 Cayman Athletic side have recently come back from a cultural education exchange with Knox College in Jamaica where they were able to compare their skills against other boys the same age.

And Mr. Adams, in particular, was an integral part of getting them to Jamaica by alleviating the costs and ensuring the team got a better deal on the airline tickets.

“Jamaica was all about giving the kids something to aim for and was an opportunity to show them what college is all about. The Jamaican boys were very welcoming and embraced our boys.

“But competition is what makes people enthusiastic. The exchange gave the boys a chance to train with the Knox college team and also match their skill level with Jamaican boys the same age.” explained Coach Gillie.

Kevin Foster, 15, told iNews about what he gained from the Jamaican exchange. “It was a great experience and a lot of fun. Seeing how hard those boys lived, I appreciate what I have here in Cayman now.”

U-15 Defender of the Year, Roshaine Anderson said, “The Jamaican boys were much more physically fit than us. They know how to shield the ball and communicate much more on the pitch.  We learnt a lot from our trip.”

All of the Cayman Athletic teams have tasted success in recent years but the U-15 team stands out by being undefeated for the last three seasons in the league and the cup. They have won every single game  and Coach Gillie has high hopes for them next season as well.

Hon. Mike Adams is the first MLA to help the team out and gave a glowing tribute to the club.

“I am tremendously proud of Cayman Athletic Sports Club and I’m more than happy to help and support them in whatever way I can.

“All the teams have done extremely well, particularly the U-15 team who went undefeated for three years. Clearly one of our intentions is to strengthen the club and I will continue to create as much funding as possible to do just that.” Said Mr. Adams.