Barbados: Jamarco Johnson started to play football at Boscobel Youth Academy when he was about two and a half years-old. As a student at St. Alban’s Primary School became a valuable member of the school’s football team and he also joined West Coast Academy Football Club.
Twelve years later, Jamarco has chalked up a string of achievements in his young football career and most recently, he captained the national under-14 football team to the championship trophy at the recently concluded 2024 Caribbean Football Union Challenge Series which was played in Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamarco is a balanced student who represented St. Alban’s at NAPSAC and football and under the careful guidance of his parents Jason and Marleta Johnson, he maintained good academic performance and this was seen when he gained entry to The St. Michael School in 2021.
In 2018 in his first ever BFA tournament at the age of 8, Marco as he is affectionately called won the Guardian Youth Cup Under-9 “Best Defender and tournament MVP’ awards when he assisted his team to victory.
In 2019, he won the Under-11 Barbados Cup tournament ‘Best Mid-Fielder’ award playing on the winning team and he went on to win the Under-9 BFA ‘Scotia Bank Cup tournament, ‘Best Mid-Fielder’ award when his team placed second in that tournament. That year he also captained his team in the 2019 Guardian Group BFA U9 tournament and captured the awards for ‘Most goals’, ‘Best mid fielder’ and MVP.
By August 2022 Marco was called to represent the island on the National under-14 football squad that participated in the 2022 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys’ U-14 Challenge Series in the Dominican Republic.
Marco switched clubs to train with KickStart Rush Football Club and in his debut match for his new club he scored 6 goals in a friendly under-17 match which his team won against Blaze Football Club.
Last year at the age of 13 he won the Guardian Group Cup Under-15 ‘Best Mid Fielder’ and ‘Tournament MVP’ when he led his team to victory in that tournament. He was called up to represent the Island on the National Under 15 football squad that participated in the Under-15 Concacaf in Curacao in August.
Marco benefitted from an overseas summer training program in the UK in 2022 and he was invited back to train with the teams including Arsenal and clubs such as Reading and Crystal Palace.
While in the UK, Marco got the opportunity to play for Crystal Place U16 trailist vs other trailist. He also played for Lewisham U16 vs Leyton Orient U16, Creative Academy U15 vs Wolves U15 and Creative Academy U17 vs Southampton U17.
Marco was one of a squad of sixteen young footballers from the Kickstart Rush Club who were selected to compete in the 2023 International Rush Cup Youth Football Tournament which was held at the Sandpiper Bay Resort & Halpatiokee Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida, last summer.
While the Bajan team placed third in the competition where they were the lone Caribbean team competing against teams from North, Central and South America for the Rush Cup title, they managed to impress the Directors of the tournament with their skills and behaviour and they were invited to return for this year’s tournament.
After the Rush cup in Florida, Marco was one of the four boys who were invited to play in the big ‘2024 Rush International Player Cup’ after one of his goals made the top 3 highlight ‘Rush cup goals’ in 2023.
This year Marco won the Barbados Cup with Kick Start Rush U17 team, and he received the award for the ‘Best Mid field award and was presented with the Kick Start Rush U15s ‘Best Striker’ award at the club’s ceremony.
Marco is currently training with the Kick Start Stars Senior team which was promoted to the Barbados Premier League and he created history by being the BFA Premier League youngest ever goal scorer at age of 14.
Outside of football, Marco was outstanding at NAPSAC for St Alban’s and he went on to represent The St. Michael School at BSSAC. In 2023 he won the St. Michael School’s Glow Sports U15 boys’ division championship trophy and the Victor Ludorum title from winning the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 2nd in the long jump.
Marco’s dedication to his training and his focus on sports has provided him with many benefits including representing his country and travelling to places such as Florida, the UK, Dominican Republic and Curacao. He has also developed an understanding of time management, how to be a good team player, how to accept defeat and working towards his goals.
