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DONE DEAL FOR REAL MADRID SOCCER SCHOOL
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer staff reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
IT will take approximately US$1 million (J$89m) for the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration to be up and fully operational, revealed Jesus Silva, the Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica.
The first phase of the school was launched on Monday in Montego Bay, St James, and the official signing of the agreement took place yesterday at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.
Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, Jesus Silva (second left), exchanges documents with Real Madrid representative Emilio Butragueno (second right), Mark Collins (left) of the Rose Hall Developments Limited and Aaron Lawrence, who will be the technical director of the school. (Photo: Devon Chin)
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"The launching of the project is around US$30,000 and the annual budget will be incremented according to the number of coaches and kids that we will be training.
"The running cost will be around US$50,000. The wider project, which has different phases and the future infrastructure, will be up to US$1 million," Silva told the Observer following the press launch.
"We have calculated the initial step for the programme with 30 kids, but we want to expand it to 50 kids and it could go up to 200 kids," he added.
The school will be located on lands donated by the Rollins family on the sprawling property of Rose Hall in Montego Bay.
Mark Rollins, whose mother Michelle was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, said his family is proud to be involved.
Said Rollins: "We are honoured to be a part of it. The youths are the future of the country and we want to do everything we can to give them that extra little push."
Rollins pleaded for further assistant from corporate Jamaica, noting that one of these youngsters might "be the next famous footballer or prime minister".
Meanwhile, technical director of the school, former Jamaican goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence, saw his dream turn into reality.
"I must say today is a wonderful day for Jamaica's football. My dream is to see these youth become good ambassadors for Jamaica and their various communities," said Lawrence.
Former Real Madrid star and national Spanish striker Emilio Butragueno, who represents the Real Madrid School for Social Integration, said they want to give something back.
"Real Madrid is going to do their best to make this project a success. Football is the perfect vehicle to use," he pointed out.
Real Madrid Launch Football School In JA
Published: Wednesday | April 28, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Mark Rollins (left) of Rose Hall Developments Limited, Jesus Silva (centre), ambassador of Spain and president of the Spanish Jamaica Foundation, and Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations for Real Madrid Foundation, sign off on an agreement between the entities for the development of the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration, at Knutsford Court Hotel, Ruthven Road, yesterday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer
Youngsters from some of the most troubled communities in Montego Bay have been afforded an avenue to develop and enhance their football skills, with the establishment of the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration.
The school, which is the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, is a joint venture between the Real Madrid Foun-dation (RMF), Spanish Jamaican Foundation (SPJF) and Rose Hall Developments (RHD).
The school will be temporarily located on the lands of the Rose Hall football playing field, which is adjacent to the Hilton Hotel in Montego Bay.
Former Reggae Boyz goalkeeper, Aaron Lawrence, manages the school, which started over the weekend with approximately 30 boys and girls.
"This is my dream that I had that when I was finished playing and finished doing the things that I could do best, then I would help other youngsters to be better persons and teach them to be better footballers," said Lawrence, while speaking at the signing of the agreement between RMF, SPJF and RHD, at the Knutsford Court Hotel yesterday.
"It is a social integration school, we will get these kids from the various communities and most of the inner-city youths," he added.
The Ambassador of Spain and president of the SPJF, Jesus Silva informed that in the school's second phase, it will be expanded with the erection of a permanent structure on lands donated by the Rollins family in the Rose Hall area.
"We are going to start a fund-raising campaign with our objective being to start building the future infrastructure for the school, which will have two football fields, classrooms and changing rooms," said Silva. "The Spanish Jamaican Foundation is going to be responsible for funding the day-to-day running of the school," he added.
Confident
Emilio Butragueno, the internationally acclaimed former Spain and Real Madrid striker and director of institutional relations for Real Madrid, is confident the school will be a success.
"We receive many, many offers to set up our schools in many countries so we need to have a guarantee that this school is going to be ran in the proper way and here we feel very comfortable and I am sure it is going to be a very successful project," said Butragueno.
"The main purpose right now is to help young people here in Jamaica, that is the first step. We will see what can happen in the future. We hope and would like to have a long relation (ship) with Jamaica," the Spaniard added.
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer staff reporter walkerh@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
IT will take approximately US$1 million (J$89m) for the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration to be up and fully operational, revealed Jesus Silva, the Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica.
The first phase of the school was launched on Monday in Montego Bay, St James, and the official signing of the agreement took place yesterday at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.
Spanish Ambassador to Jamaica, Jesus Silva (second left), exchanges documents with Real Madrid representative Emilio Butragueno (second right), Mark Collins (left) of the Rose Hall Developments Limited and Aaron Lawrence, who will be the technical director of the school. (Photo: Devon Chin)
1/1
"The launching of the project is around US$30,000 and the annual budget will be incremented according to the number of coaches and kids that we will be training.
"The running cost will be around US$50,000. The wider project, which has different phases and the future infrastructure, will be up to US$1 million," Silva told the Observer following the press launch.
"We have calculated the initial step for the programme with 30 kids, but we want to expand it to 50 kids and it could go up to 200 kids," he added.
The school will be located on lands donated by the Rollins family on the sprawling property of Rose Hall in Montego Bay.
Mark Rollins, whose mother Michelle was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, said his family is proud to be involved.
Said Rollins: "We are honoured to be a part of it. The youths are the future of the country and we want to do everything we can to give them that extra little push."
Rollins pleaded for further assistant from corporate Jamaica, noting that one of these youngsters might "be the next famous footballer or prime minister".
Meanwhile, technical director of the school, former Jamaican goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence, saw his dream turn into reality.
"I must say today is a wonderful day for Jamaica's football. My dream is to see these youth become good ambassadors for Jamaica and their various communities," said Lawrence.
Former Real Madrid star and national Spanish striker Emilio Butragueno, who represents the Real Madrid School for Social Integration, said they want to give something back.
"Real Madrid is going to do their best to make this project a success. Football is the perfect vehicle to use," he pointed out.
Real Madrid Launch Football School In JA
Published: Wednesday | April 28, 20100 Comments and 0 Reactions
Mark Rollins (left) of Rose Hall Developments Limited, Jesus Silva (centre), ambassador of Spain and president of the Spanish Jamaica Foundation, and Emilio Butragueno, director of institutional relations for Real Madrid Foundation, sign off on an agreement between the entities for the development of the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration, at Knutsford Court Hotel, Ruthven Road, yesterday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer
Youngsters from some of the most troubled communities in Montego Bay have been afforded an avenue to develop and enhance their football skills, with the establishment of the Real Madrid Football School for Social Integration.
The school, which is the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, is a joint venture between the Real Madrid Foun-dation (RMF), Spanish Jamaican Foundation (SPJF) and Rose Hall Developments (RHD).
The school will be temporarily located on the lands of the Rose Hall football playing field, which is adjacent to the Hilton Hotel in Montego Bay.
Former Reggae Boyz goalkeeper, Aaron Lawrence, manages the school, which started over the weekend with approximately 30 boys and girls.
"This is my dream that I had that when I was finished playing and finished doing the things that I could do best, then I would help other youngsters to be better persons and teach them to be better footballers," said Lawrence, while speaking at the signing of the agreement between RMF, SPJF and RHD, at the Knutsford Court Hotel yesterday.
"It is a social integration school, we will get these kids from the various communities and most of the inner-city youths," he added.
The Ambassador of Spain and president of the SPJF, Jesus Silva informed that in the school's second phase, it will be expanded with the erection of a permanent structure on lands donated by the Rollins family in the Rose Hall area.
"We are going to start a fund-raising campaign with our objective being to start building the future infrastructure for the school, which will have two football fields, classrooms and changing rooms," said Silva. "The Spanish Jamaican Foundation is going to be responsible for funding the day-to-day running of the school," he added.
Confident
Emilio Butragueno, the internationally acclaimed former Spain and Real Madrid striker and director of institutional relations for Real Madrid, is confident the school will be a success.
"We receive many, many offers to set up our schools in many countries so we need to have a guarantee that this school is going to be ran in the proper way and here we feel very comfortable and I am sure it is going to be a very successful project," said Butragueno.
"The main purpose right now is to help young people here in Jamaica, that is the first step. We will see what can happen in the future. We hope and would like to have a long relation (ship) with Jamaica," the Spaniard added.
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