CAF Supports GNFC after Successful Football Combine – EC$240,000

The Calvin Ayre Foundation (CAF) and the Generation Next Football Club (GNFC) have announced the continuation of their partnership for the sixth year.

CAF has pledged over EC$240,000 in sponsorship for 2024 to support the club’s sporting initiatives.

This partnership was formed in 2018 to promote the development of Antigua and Barbuda’s youth by providing opportunities for sports and education.

The announcement was made at a brief ceremony at Canada Place, where Richard “Ricky” Santos, President of GNFC, and Jonathan Thoroughgood, Administrative Assistant, received the sponsorship.

Jamilla Kirwan, Media Relations Specialist for the Ayre Group and Manager of the Calvin Ayre Foundation, expressed CAF’s pleasure in supporting the GNFC and congratulated the caliber of coaches who came down to assess young people with the aim of creating pathways for them.

The highlight of this partnership is the Calvin Ayre Foundation Advance Academy, which runs from September to June every year.

The academy offers scholarship opportunities to young and budding footballers for international high schools, universities, and colleges, as well as professional contract opportunities.

The Calvin Ayre Foundation’s Player Identification Combine is another initiative that runs once a year, where scouts from international football leagues come together to identify players’ potential.

This year’s Combine saw two former Premier League Managers, Micky Adams, and Garry Monk, in attendance, along with scouts from Hartpury and Brookehouse Colleges in the UK, University of District of Columbia in the US, and scouts for the United Soccer League (USL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) teams.

Santos expressed his sincere gratitude to the Foundation for its commitment to the youth of Antigua and Barbuda through its pillars of Sports and Education.

He said that the cost factor involved in bringing these professional scouts together to offer scholarship opportunities to young footballers for international high schools, universities, and colleges, and professional contract opportunities is huge.

However, he thanked CAF for seeing the vision they have at GNFC. CAF’s donation will support the Club’s sporting initiatives for managing the sporting initiatives for 2024 for the CAF Advance Football Academy, which includes coaches’ and players’ uniforms, coaches’ fees, footballs, and other training and sporting gear.

In addition, CAF’s donation facilitates SAT classes for the young players and the staging of the CAF Player Identification Combine.