Top photo: players under the NMIFA Junior National Academy program pose for a group photo at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan before heading to their training matches on Wednesday. Bottom right photo” players participate in a tree-planting activity in Marpi, while, bottom left, an NMC-CREES staff members talks to players during their visit at an As Perdido farm.
(NMIFA) — The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association’s Junior National Academy or JNA concluded its 2023-2024 program with a four-day training camp, which saw the participation of 29 players in training matches and important off-the-pitch activities.
The 29 players (girls and boys) challenged the NMI U16 National Team pool in training matches at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Wednesday and Sunday and also played against MP United Football Club U14 and Paire Football Club U14 teams. These games were on top of the training sessions conducted at the NMISTC from Tuesday to Thursday. The JNA players, along with coaches Jersh Angeles, Jireh Yobech and Irish Pagarao, also had an educational tour at the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension, & Education Service’s Aquaculture & Natural Resources at the Center for Aquaculture Development on As Terlaje Hill, and the Center for Agriculture Development Agroforestry Demonstration plot in As Perdido on Wednesday. On Sunday, the group went to Marpi for a tree planting activity in partnership with the Marianas Visitors Authority and CNMI Forestry under the Department of Public Lands and Natural Resources.
“We enjoyed the visit at NMC-CREES and also the tree planting. These visits helped us know that besides playing soccer, we can do other things to benefit our community,” said Elyza Brillo, who co-captains the girls team with Betrice Gross.
As for being part of the program, Gross is grateful for the opportunity, and she is determined to make it to the next level — play for the national team in the future.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was in pre-school and I keep playing because I want to improve. This program is a great opportunity to get better and I will continue to improve my skills, as I look forward to earning the honor to someday represent the NMI in international competitions,” Gross said.
The NMIFA offers the JNA program in partnership with the Japan Football Association. It is open to players in the 9 to 12 age group and is conducted by licensed coaches. Players under the JNA participate in training sessions for seven months, equipping them with strong fundamentals that will help them prepare to move up into the national team training program.
“I’ve been part of this program for three years and I could say that it really helped me become a better player. All the hard work at the training sessions were worth it,” said JNA boys team captain TJ Hix said.
Hix’s co-captain Damien Concepcion said they had fun touring the aquaculture and agriculture farms as they got more knowledge about the variety of food available on island and how they can be cultivated.
Joining Concepcion, Hix, Gross, and Brillo in the program were Melisa Scoggins, Windsor Gross, Mataina Reyes, Scarlett Loken, Leilani Ruszala, Anica Aquino, Princess Gariguez, Angel Calayag, Aira Daca, Emmjie Escano, Jade Pascual, Aldric Antonio, Logan Propst, Izaiah Tenorio, Zion Ullo, Lashawn Ada, Dominic Chhetri, Zhi Jin, Rhyane Umali, Brandon Teigita, Mateo Angeles, Quido Jambpr, John Ray Daca, Benjie Escano, and Clyde Manangan.
NMIFA acting technical director Konomo Suzuki sees the training camp and off-the-pitch activities as a great experience for the young players.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity for them to become more independent players and to learn how to contribute to our community through a lot of experiences and activities. The players are thankful to the NMIFA for this opportunity,” Konomi said.
