A distinguished group of Bermudian community leaders, athletes, educators and professionals will join Premier League greats John Barnes and Andrew Cole today, for the Don’t Cut Your Future Short (DCYFS) × Bermuda Football Association U13 Invitational.
Held under the theme “One Team. One Community.”, the event will bring together ten football clubs across six integrated development stations. The programme is designed to help young players develop not only their football skills, but also the confidence, resilience, communication skills and personal agency needed to thrive beyond the pitch.
Barnes and Cole will provide U13 players with world-class technical guidance through high-intensity football rotations inspired by modern academy methodology. The sessions will challenge participants to strengthen their decision-making, communication and adaptability under pressure.
“The aim is to immerse U13 participants in micro-experiences designed to expose them to different voices, sectors, ideas and perspectives they might not ordinarily encounter, reinforcing personal agency and constructive decision-making,” said Tammy Richardson-Augustus. “We want to build more than footballers. We want to build futures.”
For Dr. Ramon Arscott, Barnes’s participation represents the continuation of a powerful cycle of inspiration.
“I was a 13-year-old boy in the early 1990s and captain of my high school U14 football team at Campion College in Kingston, Jamaica, when an awe-inspiring legend came to our training session and sat with us, giving us pearls of wisdom,” Dr. Arscott recalled.
“It was the first time we had seen, in the flesh, an example of the pinnacle of football in our time. He was in his prime. He spoke like us. He looked like us. We related to him. It was then that we knew what was possible. That man was, and is, John Barnes, then captain of Liverpool F.C.”
The Character Station, Think Moment and World Cup Highlight Reel will be supported by:
- Tyrell Burgess, Bermudian international footballer and youth advocate
- Sean Trott, elite long-distance runner and May 24 champion
- Jon Beard, educator and respected contributor to Bermuda’s sporting community
- Amanda Steward, human-resources professional with 20 years of multinational experience
- Darren Wood, gang-violence reduction specialist
- Azeem Khan, cricketer and ReGen Group skipper
- Keishen Bean, third-sector professional
The Profile-Building and Media Pitch Station will feature:
- Ben Rego, real-estate professional with strong marketing expertise
- Sue Khan, consultant supporting underrepresented groups in finding their voices
- Killian Elkinson, former professional footballer and litigation lawyer
- Dr. Ramon Arscott, Harvard-trained, double-board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon
- Daniel Wood, Grateful Miles co-founder and property professional
- Cheyra Ball, safeguarding professional
The Risk, Reward, Refine, Repeat Station will be supported by the Future Leaders Group, including Executive Director Mackenzie Kohl Tuckett and the organisation’s trustees. A photo booth will provide profile pictures for the players and create a supportive setting in which they can confidently practise and refine their personal pitches.
Additional support will be provided by:
- Gemma Godfrey, experience consultant
- Dr. Tiffanne Thomas, safeguarding
- Dr. Christie Hunter-Arscott, self-advocacy framework
- Sean Tucker, master of ceremonies
- Dr. Amne Osseyran, general practitioner, consultant forensic physician, certified safeguarding trainer and certified trauma-informed care clinician
- Dr. Chioma Nwasike, sports medicine physician
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