The Impact of the Keturah Hamilton Foundation in Youth Soccer in Jamaica
by Howard Campbell
KINGSTON, Jamaica — This year’s Shaq Moore Youth Classic soccer tournament in Tobago will have a Jamaican flavor with the entry of Elite Eliments, a team comprising players from some of the country’s toughest communities.
Their participation is possible through the assistance of Keturah Hamilton, a Jamaican who lives in California. After a chance meeting with the team in July, she decided to support them through her Keturah Hamilton Foundation.
“I visited Jamaica in July and took a trip to the beach. These boys were walking around panhandling and they came over to ask me for money so they could attend their game the next day. I fell in love right away with their beautiful faces and my heart just melted. I asked if the coach was with them and one of the boys said, ‘ma’am, let me call him,” Hamilton recalled. “Unfortunately, he didn’t answer. I asked for his number and also told them I would attend the game the next day. I couldn’t make it to the game and soon left Jamaica to return to the States. Weeks passed, but I couldn’t get those faces out of my head. So I called the coach and we set up a zoom meeting. And the rest is history!”
The Shaq Moore Youth Classic takes place from December 13-15. It is organized by Shaquell Moore, who plays as a defender for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
Moore, whose parents are from Trinidad and Tobago, also has 18 caps for the US soccer team.
Kirk Allen is coach of Elite Eliments which has 25 players on its books, aged 10 to 13. They are from garrison communities, so-called because of their high level of gang violence.
Since Allen started his program three years ago, he has fielded teams in age-group leagues throughout Jamaica. The exposure for his inner-city proteges is critical.
“When they come to camp on weekends it’s like a privilege. It occupies their time and keeps them from doing wrongs,” said Allen.
Some of Elite Eliments’ players are from Spanish Town, Jamaica’s first capital, where Hamilton lived before migrating to the United States in her early teens. She is an actress who has appeared in several television shows and movies.