grant to support its football programme.
Total Football Academy (TFA) has been awarded a $650,000 grant from Digicel Foundation, giving the grassroots programme a significant boost as it continues developing young talent.
The Academy won the Foundation’s “Show Your Skills and Score” social media
challenge, which invited school football teams, community clubs, and academies to post
a video showcasing their team’s skills for a chance to win a grant. Total Football
Academy emerged victorious, securing over 1,000 organic likes on Instagram.
Charmaine Daniels, CEO of Digicel Foundation, said the timing of the contest was
deliberate, designed to ride the wave of excitement generated by the World Cup
tournament.
“Football has a unique way of uniting people and the whole world was
watching the World Cup with such passion. We wanted to channel that same energy
back into our own communities, where the next generation of footballers is being
shaped every day. A lot of young players look up to these World Cup athletes, and they
dream of one day representing their own countries on that same stage,” she said.
Daniels added that the grant reflects the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to
sport as a tool for social development. ‘Throughout the years, we have consistently
supported grassroots programmes because we’ve seen firsthand what it does for young
people. It teaches discipline, teamwork and resilience. It keeps children engaged and
out of harm’s way. Most importantly, it brings communities together.”
Founder and Director of TFA, Raymond Leveridge, said the grant comes at a pivotal
moment for the Academy’s growth. ‘We are incredibly grateful to Digicel Foundation for
this opportunity and for believing in what we’re building here. This grant will help us
provide proper gear for our players, cover training expenses and support critical areas
like nutrition and hydration that are often overlooked but so important to a young
athlete’s development. We’ll also be able to purchase much-needed equipment that will
elevate the quality of training we can offer,” he said.
Leveridge also spoke to the Academy’s mission and the communities it serves. “We are
an academy with a very diverse demographic. A large number of our players come from
inner-city communities and less fortunate backgrounds, where access to structured,
quality football programmes isn’t always guaranteed. For many of these young people,
TFA is a safe space, a and a support system.
This grant allows us to remove some of the barriers that stand between our players and their potential and that means everything to us,” he said. Digicel Foundation offers two grant programmes: the Mek A Muckle grant, which provides up to $650,000 in funding for small projects and the Build Jamaica grant, which supports larger programmes with up to $2,000,000 in funding. To learn more about Digicel Foundation grants, visit www.digicelfoundation.org/jm/en.
Jamaica Highlights 