Chelsea star hopes to set up academy in Jamaica

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

English Premier League striker, Daniel Sturridge, has a very strong connection with Jamaica, with both of his mother's parents and his paternal grandfather being Jamaicans.

The Chelsea front man has intentions of strengthening his ties with the country at the end of his playing career, as he plans on setting up a football academy in the island.

"I love this country and it has my roots, so to have something here when I finish my career would be special to me, so hopefully in the future I will be able to have a soccer school here," Sturridge told The Gleaner in an exclusive interview, while on his third visit to the island. "This would be my preferred country, I would rather do it here than to do it in England, to be honest," he added.

dedicated to the sport

According to Sturridge, the football school would be geared at giving young players access to training, while exposing them to proper dieting, the importance of training, and being dedicated to the sport.

The 21-year-old also plans on having a strong academic component to the academy.

"I would also want to ensure that they do their schoolwork, because a lot of people see it as one or the other, but when you are young you have to do both," Sturridge expressed.

The England under-21 player is eligible to represent Jamaica having not turned out for England at the senior level. He is, however, keen on making the transition to England's senior team but has not ruled out the possibility of playing for the Reggae Boyz, despite having never been approached by the local federation.

"You can never say never, I don't know what the future holds, as my roots are with Jamaica and I love the country, but that is not to say I would play for the Reggae Boyz," Sturridge stated. "It is just to say I love the country and I respect everyone, my family and the people make me feel so welcome."

He added: "If the full national team from England says they want me to play for them, obviously I would, because I have represented them through all the youth levels. I think for me it is obviously a natural transition to take the next step into the full squad of England."

Sturridge started his professional career with Manchester City where he spent three seasons before joining Chelsea in 2009. It is with Chelsea that he tasted his first major success winning the league and cup double in the 2010/2011 season. He, however, spent last season on loan at Bolton, where unlike at Chelsea, he was allowed first team football. He made full use of his opportunity, netting the most goals in any one season in his career to date; eight in 11 starts and one appearance off the bench.

He hopes to remain at Chelsea next season, despite interest from several other top premier league clubs and is keen on impressing new manager André Villas-Boas.

"It is a new manager, new fresh start for every player, so for me it is just important for me to get back to Chelsea now and show this manager what I can do."