Football: Dwight Yorke sends inspiring message to youths |13 September 2013

Yorke (right) addressing those in attendance

“The key to success is hard work.” That was one of the messages Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke sent to the young aspiring professionals when he met them yesterday afternoon at the Maison Football auditorium.

Yorke, who arrived in the country yesterday under of the Airtel Rising Star programme, met young footballers from the Seychelles Youth Academy in a talk aimed at inspiring and advising them to help in their sporting development.

A filled auditorium greeted the former Manchester United hero as he presented himself and although most of the kids have never had the pleasure of witnessing Yorke’s deadly striking partnership with Andy Cole during the late 1990s, they were all nonetheless excited to meet another former professional footballer after the earlier visit of Patrick Vieira this year.

The man who captained his native Trinidad and Tobago in their first ever World Cup appearance back in 2006, spoke of his struggles as a child in his quest to becoming one of the most prolific strikers in the English Premier League.

Both inspiring and touching, Yorke’s story revolves around the need for hard work and dedication in order to achieve one’s dreams. And that was the message he emphasised to the youth. With the country’s current struggle with substance and alcohol abuse, he urged the youths to refrain from such temptations if they want to achieve greatness.

A statistic which he used a few times may have helped lift the spirits and give more determination to the kids. “Only one in every 1,000 young footballers makes it to the professional level,” he said. It may seems scary, but it is something that any young aspiring footballer should take in and challenge themselves to become that one special talent who makes it.

The evening ended with a training session for the young footballers where Yorke shared his skills and knowledge to both the players and coaches. With the Rising Stars programme winners to be announced today, it was probably one last chance for the finalists to impress their coaches.

According to Seychelles Football Federation secretary general Jemmy Adela, the announcement of the two players picked to attend the next round of training in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be announced at a cocktail being organised in Yorke’s honour tonight at La Plaine St André.

Dwight Yorke began his professional career at Aston Villa where he made 232 league appearances, scoring 73 goals. He moved to Manchester United in 1998 and was part of the team who won the unique treble in 1999 and finished as top league goal scorer in his first season.

Altogether he scored 66 goals for Manchester United in 152 appearances.
After Manchester, Yorke played for Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and his last club was Sunderland.

Yorke has completed his Level B coaching badge, and in 2010 was quoted as being interested in pursuing a career in coaching.

S. N.