DaRock Elite Players Tour West Ham Academy
Ten football players from the DaRock Elite Academy continued their tour of England by playing a match against Bolton Wanderers Academy Under-9 and visiting the West Ham United Academy.
The Bermudian academy team beat Bolton on penalties.
“After going behind, the boys showed incredible resilience to fight back for a 4-4 draw, and then came out on top in a penalty shootout,” said Danté Leverock, the Bermuda defender and founder of the DaRock Elite Academy.
“A massive thank you to Bolton Wanderers for hosting us and giving our boys a great challenge.
“Special appreciation to Na’im Zuill, a Bermudian international playing at Bolton Wanderers, for coming out to support the team and sharing his journey and words of wisdom – a true role model for our young players.”
The academy also visited the Britannia Stadium – the home of Sky Bet Championship side Stoke City – before heading to London, where they took a trip to the West Ham United Academy, playing in a tournament.
“We started with a tournament at the incredible West Ham United Academy facility, where the boys showed great spirit and talent – finishing with three draws and two wins,” Leverock said.
“A strong performance with lots of learning moments to take forward.
“The players also had the chance to take photos in front of signs honouring Bermudian academy graduates Djair Parfitt-Williams and Nathan Trott, both of whom came through West Ham’s system – another moment of inspiration for our boys.
“The night before, we were treated to a surprise team dinner at Stoke City’s stadium – another amazing experience for the players, getting to visit yet another historic English club and take it all in.
“These experiences continue to expose the boys to the professional environment and inspire them to dream big and work even harder.”
