Celtic FC Partners With Bermuda Academy
[Written by Stephen Wright]
The Celtic Academy in Scotland has partnered with the LB Football Academy in Bermuda to help develop players and coaches on the island over the next three years.
Leo Burgess, a former Somerset Trojans and Somerset Eagles forward, who now plays for Ireland Rangers in the First Division, established the LB Football Academy in 2019.
Last week, the Celtic Academy sent three coaches to Bermuda for a weeklong camp at Police Field, with further opportunities on the horizon for players and coaches to travel to Glasgow to continue their development.
Based at an indoor training complex at Well Bottom, Southampton, the LB Football Academy has more than 120 registered male and female players aged 5 to 16 and eight staff.
The academy also offers scholarships and bursaries, allowing players to participate in their programmes for free.
Burgess, who visited Celtic Park, the home of the Scottish giants, in April, said the partnership was the culmination of several years of hard work, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There have been a lot of challenges along the way, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, but we kept going because we believed in the project,” Burgess told Bernews. “I sacrificed a year of no income so the doors could stay open.
“The academy has grown tremendously. This partnership with Celtic, gaining our biggest sponsor, Monument Re, and taking our first tour to Chester, England, has been our most notable achievements.
“We want to build a bridge from Bermuda to the professional game and create further career opportunities for our players.
“In Bermuda, it takes partnerships to help the sport grow, and we are thankful for this opportunity.”
Burgess, 28, said he was inspired to become a coach by his father, Leo Richardson, the head boxing coach at The New Controversy Gym in Hamilton, and Danvers Seymour Jr, his former coach at Trojans.
