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MoBay children, guests to benefit from Round Hill summer camp
April 29, 2025
Children from areas surrounding Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Hanover, as well as guests who fall within that age group, are set to benefit from a summer camp to be held from July 4-11.
The one-week training engagement will see Round Hill Hotel and Villas team up with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) for an initiative that will be "rewarding financially and otherwise" to all involved, according to Gario Graham, CEO of Kingston Made Productions, which has been charged with organising and managing the event.
Participants will be drawn from the resort's international guests, while the federation will team up with a local charity organisation from western Jamaica to provide local players.
"If we are able to have space enough by now and May, we will open it to the general public and they can pay if they want to be a part of it," Graham pointed out. "But for now we are looking to make sure Jamaicans can get into this at a very subsidised cost."
The JFF will oversee the overall management of the football activities and provide coaches and international players, who will help supervise and assist the young players.
It will also be a situation where coaches and players will be promoting the event for which they are to benefit financially.
"The JFF will support in terms of having coaches at the summer camp, coaching the young athletes. The players will do promotion videos and participate as well. If available," he noted.
The camp is scheduled to clash with the Gold Cup tournament, as a result, many of the internationally recognised male players may not be available.
However, Graham noted that they will have some Reggae Girlz as well as local national male players.
"From a financial standpoint, this is something for long and short-term purposes, where it will be financially beneficial to both Round Hill and the JFF."
Michael Ricketts, the JFF president, is excited at the project.
"The initiative is unique and novel and quite exciting. The intent is to involve visitors and their kids and this certainly is an initiative that will market the product of football," Ricketts commented.
"I am looking forward with great expectancy and I am absolutely sure this will be an initiative which other entities will want to copy going forward," he added.
Josy Karabolad, Round Hill's sales and marketing director, declared her Brazilian nationality and love for the sport, saying they want to create a new experience where guest can relax, while their kids train, play and get better at their soccer skills, and at the same time promote Jamaica's football.
"What we are going to do is take a little bit of a piece of Jamaica to the international market. Most of our clients are from the USA, Canada and the UK, and they are going to hear what Jamaica is doing in terms of soccer, especially a year before the World Cup. So it is great to have this," she stated.
Karabolad continued: "We are going to have a plan for guests and local kids for a charity event we are supporting. So it is a great mix and I am happy with this partnership with the JFF and I'm hoping this is the first of many camps we can do at our beautiful soccer field we have at Round Hill."
