FOURTEEN teams will do battle in two groups of seven in the Guardsman Northern Zone Under 14 football championship which kicks off today at the Grande Riviere Playing Field.
There will be a march past of teams at 9:30 a.m. followed by three games from 11:00 a.m. The tournament will continue tomorrow from 11:00 a.m. with three more encounters.
The St. Lucia Football Association in collaboration with the Gros Islet Football League and sponsor Guardsman Limited held a press launch for the tournament on February 29. It is another youth tournament this time for the leagues in the north of the island under the banner of the Gros Islet Football League, the objective being to develop and help the young and aspiring football players prepare for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup Qualifier in 2018.
President of the Gros Islet Football League Shayne Paul noted that it was only a few days earlier that the Gros Islet Football League held its inaugural awards night at Bay Gardens Hotel under the theme “Celebrating excellence: tapping into the limited ability of our footballers”, and added: “Here we have the financial director of Guardsman Clery George tapping into the limited ability of our young footballers. With this sponsorship, as a league we must take it seriously. We must tell the players what they are playing for, why they are playing and what sponsorship is about. The players must also take this competition seriously; they must always be on time for their respective matches and engage each other in fair play”.
George, in his brief remarks, expressed his company’s interest in the tournament and said it was prepared to work with the SLFA in the years ahead. He said: “When the President of the GIFL Shane Paul approached the company for the sponsorship we never hesitated, and having recognized the importance of this nation-building exercise, we said let’s do it.
He said his company was looking to have a long term partnership with the SLFA.
SLFA President Lyndon Cooper welcomed the support of the Guardsman and expressed his gratitude for their assistance.
Today’s opening matches will feature Reduit FC vs Ciceron Seagulls at 11:00 a.m. VSADC vs CT Foundation at 1:00 p.m. and Big Players vs Valley Soccer at 3:00 p.m.
Tomorrow, it will be Lancers vs B1 Juniors at 11:00 a.m., Super J. Boboville vs Fond Assau at 1:00 p.m., and Super J Northern United vs First Touch/Pioneers at 3:00 p.m.