Real Mona investing in their youth players

Having started their Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Championship League campaign with a 3-2 win over Barbican FC on Saturday, Real Mona FC has been turning heads with their decision to field a young squad of players this season.

Head coach Ashton Blankson said the club made the decision to focus on their youth players after last season’s result where they just avoided relegation to the KSAFA Major League.

Several of the players from that campaign have not returned to the squad, which has opened the door for their youth players to fill the ranks in the senior team.

“I think if we had better results last season, you probably would have seen more of those guys returning,” Blankson remarked. “But we have made a decision as an organisation to spend more time with some of our younger players who have shown quite the intent to play at a higher level.”

Real Mona have several notable names from the recent schoolboy football competitions such as the Jamaica College (JC) pair of Nashordo Gibbs and Jamone Lyle, Campion College’s Djaz Less, Wolmer’s Boys’ Benjamin Griffithsm, and Excelsior talisman Kimarly Scott filling their ranks.

Blankson said their inclusion is more than just securing positive results but rather to give these players a platform to develop their skills as they seek the next step in their careers.

“I think it is a very positive performance after coming from a tough season last year,” Blankson said.

“While we will use the youngsters to get more positive results, we are more interested in getting opportunities for them outside the country. That might be in a professional capacity through contracts or try-outs, or it might be through college recruitment through scholarships.”

He explained that the club has also invested in their players’ academic lives as they aim to provide avenues to success for the players.

“We do not look to have players that are one dimensional. We want to equip them with as many tools for them to be successful in life,” Blankson explained. “We have programmes for our players like mentorship. I think there are a lot of brilliant minds, but without the right guidance, they will not want to push themselves.

“We try to guide them, and in some cases, we provide options like CSEC, CAPE, or SAT classes for the players who will need that kind of assistance,” he added.

One such mentor in Real Mona’s programme is former Harbour View midfielder and national player Luca Levee.

Levee currently works part time on Real Mona’s coaching staff and is expected to join the team as a player during the January transfer window.

The midfielder, who had previously played for Real Mona’s under-13 and under-15 teams, said he hopes to inspire the next generation of footballers.

“I’ve been involved with the coaching and helping out part time, and Real Mona is also the first club I’ve ever played for. A few of the players on the team, I’ve coached them privately before, so it felt like a good fit for me,” Levee said.

“It’s not really about me. I’m more just thinking about working with the team and being able to help these younger players.”

Both Blankson and Levee are confident about the team’s chances in the early days of the competition as Blankson said despite their focus on youth development, he believes that the team can compete for the KSAFA Championship title.

“I think we have the pieces to win the title. It is the goal of Real Mona to compete and win this title. We have the personnel to do so, to win and try to make a move up to Tier II and even further beyond.”