Real de Banjul Football Club have decamped the twelve players who were camped at Kerr Real at the end of the five weeks timeline of the pilot program.

It could be recalled that in over a month ago, the management together with the club’s technicians initiated to camp twelve young players for five weeks at its club house, Kerr Real, to trial a different approach to developing some young players. The initiative that acclaimed the praise and approval of football enthusiasts, went to be a worthy one after players from the camp showed signs of progress as Real de Banjul’s five out of their last six games, were scored by Baboucarr Touray (2), Alasana Badjie (2) and Abdurahman Badamosi (1), all from the camped group and coincidentally their very first goals of the campaign and they came after the fourth and fifth weeks of their camp.

Club President William Abraham shared his satisfaction during the decamping of the successful camp on Monday at Kerr Real saying that: “I want to thank (club technical director) Pa Suwareh Faye and Coach Lamin Kijera who did a great job with the twelve players during the five weeks long camp. I want to thank the players for their patience and discipline that you’ve shown.”

“I have never heard of any bad attitudes or wrongdoing from the camp, so it means we are achieving what we are slowly achieving what we want. We appreciate your patience, some of you are not having playing time, wait for your time. My level of education is not very high, I didn’t go to University or College. Bye Malleh Wadda was my commerce teacher and I was the best student in his class. Immediately I finished High School, I knew that a job was waiting for me because I was working since I was going to school. In this world you have to believe in yourself, I didn’t have to go the University to be the President of Real de Banjul, Pa Yusufa Samba who’s my vice president is much older than me but God gave me this seat.”

Abraham added: “So, if you believe in yourselves, you believe that you’re the twelve players out of over a hundred players that the club has, you’re the luckiest twelve players to be in this camp. I am happy that you’re making good use of it because everything that we gave you here, we feel that it’s the best, for the first time something like this is happening in the country. This project we are doing here, I have put it on the table of the former President, Yahya Jammeh and that of Adama Barrow to build an academy facility in every region of the country. We have the best talent in Africa and I believe in them that’s why we are doing this. So, if you believe in yourself and this project you will go very far. Most of you playing in the first team have a lot of scouts interested in you. It means our investment is paying back because football is not a joke, it’s a business. The reason you’re sitting here is to be somebody tomorrow in football, that is why you’re here and we’re here to help you achieve that dream and to also make money for the club, I will not lie. We started this club from nothing and today we have assets; our training facility, our office (club house), and the transportation system is all money, no body gave it to us for free, it’s from the hard work that we are dong. All the twelve players camped are top players and all of you can make it in life if you continue to believe.”

The Club President shared his gratefulness and appreciation to the experienced leaders and influential personnel from different walks of life that honored the club’s invitation to visit the lads in camp to motivate and mentor them in different educative topics. “We’ve had a lot of speakers who came here from different walks of life who were all chose by Pa Suwareh Faye, Technical Director”,Prexy reveal adding that: “I will take this opportunity to thank all the people that came here to talk about their lives’ journey to inspire and mentor the camped players.”

First Vice President, Pa Yusufa Samba who was always close to the lads during their camp also at the event had this to say: “Now that we’ve close this camp, when you go home, try and emulate the good practice you’ve been doing here. We don’t say that you don’t have to go out but, rest and do as you were doing here. The coaches will be monitoring you. You’ve seen the five weeks you have been here your output is far better, you look fresh and better.”

Samba added that: “If you want to be professional footballer, you have to know how to behave. We are not saying that you should not go out but going out or stay up until 2 to 3 am will not tell well and you’ll certainly see it in your out put. If you all behave well, you can forge ahead. What we can do is to guide and help you but you’re to determine for yourselves if you want to be professional footballers you have to know how to go about it. Steve (Bubacarr Trawally) came here and I am sure he told you about it, Mulie (Pa Mulie Jassey) too, I’m sure he said it (what it takes to be a professional footballer). So, it’s all about taking care of yourselves. We will thank the coaching staff for their good job they’re doing.”

The legendary Bye Malleh Wadda was also there and said: “I will just reiterate some of the things I have been said. It’s about looking at football as work and preparing yourselves to do a job when you have the opportunity which is now. I think it’s well known locally and internationally that Real de Banjul is providing best facilities, best coaches and the opportunity we gave you guys of camping you here all to try to make your people better. For us, we are doing the best we can by doing what we do and provide you with this opportunities and it is up to you guys to pick it up, run with it or you drop the baton and that’s the life of sports.”

BMW added: “I love sports, all my life is sports and it started at 7-8 years. I dedicated my life to sports, and I always say number one is fitness. What ever you do in life your state determines the output, and number one is life is fitness, being fit and healthy and that’s why we try to prepare you guys by preparing you and getting to be fit. When you’re fit that’s when you can do your optimum. I told people that, that was a time I felt I could not die because the fitness I felt with myself and confidence it gave me, and that’s why I was able to perform at the level that I perform. So, I have to stress that and it’s not just in football, in all aspects of life. You need to be fit, you need to healthy and you need to be in a state where you have the confidence that you can deliver whatever you’re ask to do.”

The former Gambian multi sports player and legend went on to stress that: “we brought you here so that you’ve extra work with coaches and Technical Director, Pa Faye, so that you improve on your techniques, your skills, and your mindset. I hope you people appreciate what we are doing and you guys keep improving. I think all of you sitting here have a lot of opportunity and talent that could improve your life and even the country in essence because you taking about not just developing players for the club but for the nation. We are Gambians, we love Gambia, we want to see Gambia successful. So, that’s why we brought you here. It’s your opportunity, we’ve almost a million youths of your age that don’t have this opportunity, so grasp it and make sure you take it to another level.”

Pa Suwareh Faye, the Technical Director who was in the forefront the camp and was giving the extra trainings to lads affirmed success from the camp citing the good influence some of the lads from the camp have in Ebrima Jatta’s charges. “This initiative is a success, you can see how many of them are performing at a better level and this (the camping of players) needs to continue. I want to say a big thank you to the management who showed yet again how committed they’re to take this club and Gambian football to next level”.

Ebrima Jatta, the Head Coach of the City Boys also advised the lads to grab their opportunity seriously, saying that, “as you stand at the doorstep of your dreams, aspiring to turn your passion into profession. So, remember this, greatness isn’t born, it is cultivated. Every step you take, every challenge you come across is an opportunity to develop yourself into the player aspire to be.”

Jatta added: “what we are achieving in this league is not just a child’s play. It’s about commitment, readiness, and willingness. I for one will never change my enthusiasm to somebody’s dalasi. This is my life, where I get my daily bread I want to grow and I am growing. I want to say that you to the Real de Banjul Executive for the trust and opportunity given to me.”

Young coach, Lamin Kijera who was with the boys in camp and Baboucarr Touray who was the captain of the camp all showed appreciation and applauded the club management for elevating their preparedness in their careers.

We would like to send a special thanks to Mr. Bakary K. Jammeh, our very own 2nd Vice President and GFF 1st Vice President, the legendary Bye Malleh Wadda of Real de Banjul, Auntie Nafie Secka, Mulie Jassey, former Real de Banjul footballer and now Technical Director at BST Galaxy, Bubacarr ‘Steve’ Trawally, CEO of BST Galaxy, Mr. Besenty Gomez, Mr. Kemo Ceesay, GFF Finance Director and Mr. Maudo Jallow, Referees Instructor all of whom who took time from their busy schedules to mentor the lads during the five weeks camp at Kerr Real.