Photo: Junior Flemmings receives the Golden Boot from Stephen Miller – Sponsorship manager at LIME
Junior Ricardo Flemmings was installed as a 12 year old in the Jamaica College Under 14 competition under coach Wayne Palmer who rarely used 1st Form students but there was something about Flemmings that stood out from his early years.
Photo: Junior Flemmings receives the Golden Boot from Stephen Miller – Sponsorship manager at LIME
Junior Ricardo Flemmings was installed as a 12 year old in the Jamaica College Under 14 competition under coach Wayne Palmer who rarely used 1st Form students but there was something about Flemmings that stood out from his early years.
In his second season of U-14 Football ( 2009) he captained the team to both the U-13 Urban and All-Island Championships. This precocious talent was then invited to the Manning Cup Pre-Season Training where he looked a cut above his peers and even those who were older than him. He scored 14 Manning Cup goals that season and was a part of the historic JC Triple Championship Football team in 2010.
In 2011 he was plagued by niggling injuries and was still able to score 12 goals and lead the team into the Manning Cup Semi Finals.
In 2012 he continued making a mark and name for himself, being regarded as one of Jamaica’s most lethal schoolboy strikers. His goals and leadership helped JC to the Walker Cup Final which they lost 1-0.
2013 was deemed the year of change for the young striker who declared he would be on the field at all times for his team and would fight to the very end. That passion and determination propelled his team, defying the odds, to lift the coveted Manning Cup and Olivier Shield. As Captain, he finished the season without receiving one yellow or red card and scored 20 Manning Cup goals, six of which came in the second round. His exemplary leadership contributed significantly to the team’s success.
Speaking with Yardie Sports after receiving the Most Valuable Player, Most Disciplined Player and Golden Boot Awards, Flemmings said, “The management, coaches and other staff were always there for us during the entire campaign and that contributed to the success of the team in a significant way.
“The MVP award means the most to me because I learned a lot of life lessons throughout the season. It was more than just getting goals, it was about remaining disciplined and getting it right for the whole season,” Flemmings explained.
Completing the season without receiving a caution was not merely by accident, but a carefully orchestrated plan.
“We had an agreement, I told the coach that as long as I was on the field we would win all the games we played, so it was important for me not to get any cards to make sure my team won.”
Flemmings is currently a lower 6th form student who is doing subjects in the field of business. He was the youngest member of the National Under 17 team which qualified for the FIFA Youth World Cup in 2011 and was also the Captain of the 2013 team that just missed out on qualifying for a spot in the Youth World Cup.
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