National Senior Reggae Boyz captain and goalkeeper, Andre Blake, has taken on the role of mentor for aspiring young goalkeepers as he is set to host a goalkeeping clinic.
The Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at the University of the West Indies, Mona, will be the stage for this initiative, scheduled to take place on December 14 and 15, with daily sessions running from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Elevating goalkeeping skills
This specialized clinic will elevate the skills of more than 24 youth goalkeepers carefully selected from the cream of the crop in the ISSA Manning Cup and daCosta Cup teams.
Additionally, two female goalkeepers from Reinas Academy will also benefit from the initiative.
When discussing the inspiration behind this admirable initiative, Andre Blake expressed his desire to contribute to the education of goalkeepers, enlightening them about the requirements to reach higher levels of performance.
Instructor extraordinaire
Leading the charge in providing top-notch training is the highly experienced Phil Wheddon.
Wheddon serves as Andre Blake’s goalkeeper coach at Philadelphia Union, adding a wealth of expertise to the clinic.
His credentials include being the only goalkeeper coach in US history to have coached both the men’s and women’s national teams in a FIFA World Cup.
He also has three World Cup coaching experiences and two Olympic gold medals won with Team USA.
The coaching team
Joining Wheddon is a roster of esteemed goalkeeper coaches, including Jamaica Under-20 coach Andrew Sewell, national goalkeeper Jahmali Waite, Reinas Academy’s Neo Oxford, and Kingston College’s Robert Beckford.
Expressing gratitude
Receiving generous backing of this initiative, Blake extended his appreciation to those who have rallied behind the Andre Blake Goalkeeper Clinic.
He thanked all the coaches for their voluntary service, the Jamaica Football Federation, and the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) for their support.
He also acknowledged the Sagicor Foundation, Spectrum Systems Limited, Tru Shake, Powerade, The Courtyard Marriott, Leep Marketing, and Uhlsport for providing invaluable contributions to make the initiative.
