Munro College in St. Elizabeth will host the seventh annual Jonathan “Johno” Hibbert memorial football tournament for aspiring student-athletes on January 7, 2012.

The tournament enables bright student-athletes to display their football skills to invited coaches from prestigious universities in the United States with the hope of gaining an athletic scholarship.

More than 400 male and female student-athletes attend the tournament each year. To date, the competition has offered over 260 scholarships and more than 80 Jamaican student-athletes have studied or are currently studying in the U.S. as a result of the tournament.

An average of eight coaches from U.S. universities attends the showcase each year, with a record number of 12 coaches attending last year. Students have gone on to study at East StroudsburgUniversity,University of Maine,Rider University,Lynn UniversityandLindsey Wilson College.

Universities that have already committed to attend this year’s tournament include Saint Leo University, Molloy university, Navarro College, Harding University, Lynn University and Bryant University.

The tournament was founded in memory of Jonathan “Johno” Hibbert, who was tragically killed in a road traffic accident in May Pen Clarendon in December 2002. A foundation was established in January 2003 and the first tournament was held in January 2006.

Students from the 2011 staging are already making great inroads in college soccer. Nugene Nugent is the name on every one’s lips at the moment; she has scored 22goals with 19 assists. She is now one of the top 10goal scorer in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) League.

Scholarship hopefuls may visit our website www.jhibbertfoundation.org and register their details. Additionally, registration will be open on the day of the event.

Tournament organizers ask that all student-athletes arrive by 8AM for registration on the day of the tournament and take the SAT (Standardized Aptitude Test), or begin studying for the exam, prior to the tournament.

For more information, please contact Mr. Kevin Holmes at telephone (1876) 893262.