Saipan Tribune

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Friday, October 05, 2012

NMIFA YOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Name: Colin Fruit
Age Group: U18
Team: Paire FC
Position: Defender
Jersey No.: #12
Years of Playing Experience: 5 years
Village: Kannat Tabla
School: Home school
Grade: 12
Favorite Player or Team: Charles Puyol

Q: How did you become interested in football?
A: I became interested in football as a young boy. I always play it with my friends and watch games on television

Q: Why do you like to play football?
A: The excitement of a football game is unique, there's nothing quite like it.

Q: What are your greatest football achievements?
A: I was able to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in an international tournament when I was selected to be part of the CNMI U15 National Team that competed in the 2010 EAFF U15 Football Festival at the Leo Palace Resort Field in Yona, Guam.

Q: What other message can you share with the football community?
A: Keep playing.

“I have been lucky enough to coach Colin for 4 years now at the U18 level. His constant level of effort and dedication to the game have made him one of the most observant and tactical players I have ever coached. His cool nerves have really helped with the leadership on the team and he has a solid finish on penalties. These attributes have also made Colin one of the best referees on island and have earned him trips to train for refereeing at the highest level as a representative of NMIFA. These qualities also lead Paire FC to name Colin on as our director of referees this year and he sets our youth referee schedules and managse all correspondence and problem solving for us week to week. Colin was also the first youth player to take an active role as referee in higher division games, which he found out pays pretty well. I credit his success for the large youth movement we now see with our young referees. We will be losing Colin to college this winter and though Paire FC will miss his contributions as a player and as a referee greatly, we wish him all the best and know that he will continue his love of the beautiful game.”-Colin's coach Steve McKagan