Ten of Bermuda's most promising youth football players will graduate tomorrow from the two week long School of Excellence Programme sponsored by the Bank of Bermuda and managed by Pro Major Indoor Soccer League player David Bascome.

The elite group of players, aged between 12 and 13 years old, were selected for the programme from the 230 other Pro Soccer Clinic participants which took place between June 30 and July 6. This was in recognition of their outstanding qualities of leadership and discipline which set them apart from the rest of the group.

Directed by Andrea Dill, a Berkeley Business Studies Teacher, the School of Excellence combined soccer training with schoolwork and work experience as participants were, among other things, required to work with smaller children at several Summer Day Camps run by the Ministry of Community Affairs, Sports and Recreation.

Karen Madeiros, Events and Promotions Officer at the Bank of Bermuda, was very anxious to ensure that junior programmes such as this one fulfil a social as well as a sporting purpose.

"We are very supportive of youth programmes like these. Developing the mental as well as the physical aspect of our young people will help produce positive individuals, not just on the field but also in our community."

One of the lucky ten, 13-year-old Akeem Taylor, eagerly testified to this.

"The schooling, training and work experience has changed the way I look at things. I thought that being placed at Pre School was going to be easy. I assumed wrong. It is a big responsibility to look after a lot of children."

The young participants have been practising every night for the last two weeks under the supervision of Bascome. Training has focused on ball skills as well as physical fitness with the group being put through a strenuous regime of push-ups, sit-ups, track running and stair climbing at the National Sports Centre.

Bascome himself was optimistic that the rigorous programme undertaken by his pupils would succeed in strengthening their minds as well as their bodies.

"Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness," he said.

"You cannot be a good player if you do not focus on both. These players have worked hard for two weeks on all aspects of their game and I am very proud to say that all of them will be graduating from the programme."

Those graduating are: Kilian Elkinson; Nahki Wells; Marquel Waldron; Larnar Richardson; K'wonde Lathan; Ryan Tyrell; Akeem Taylor; Matthew Madeiros; Reginald Thompson-Lambe.