GMC United have been crowned champion of the 2017 Spider Cup, walking away with the most awards — nine in total — and the prize money at stake when the Gros Islet Football League held its awards ceremony to bring the curtains down on the “Spider Cup”. The event was held at the Gros Islet Secondary School Auditorium on Wednesday evening.
GMC walked away with the coveted EC$4000 first prize after a nail-biting 2-1 victory over rivals Sports Locker/Dominos Northern United in the finals at the Gros Islet playing field on Sunday, December 3.
Dubbed one of the most competitive finals in recent years, the game saw both teams displaying the best of what football had to offer in north of the island and, in some cases, going the extra mile in search of victory. However, when the final whistle was sounded, what mattered was the number of times the ball had found its way into the back of the net of the opposition.
At the prize-giving ceremony, the Fair Play Award was presented by GIFL Public Relations Officer, Jenifer Gaston, to Sports Locker/Dominos Northern United.
Most Outstanding Youth Player Awards were presented by GIFL Vice President, Charde Desir, to Selwyn Boyce (GMC United), Lyndan St. Juste (Dominators FC), and Gabriel Biscette (Northern United).
Emerging Player Awards presented by GIFL President, Shane Paul; Social Transformation Officer, Valine Isidore; and Youth and Sports Officer, Saralee Williams, went to TurjardStava (striker, Northern United), Samuel Lawerence (midfielder, Northern United), DalanCenac (defender, Northern United), Stavon Gabriel (goalkeeper, Northern United), and Gabriel Biscette (captain, Northern United).
The Prestigious Awards were presented by Parliamentary Representative for Gros Islet, Lenard Montoute and Cuthbert Elizee of Saint Lucia Lotteries Authority. They are as follows: Most Outstanding Defender (Charlery Mathurin, GMC United), Most Outstanding Midfielder (Jason Similien, GMC United), Most Outstanding Striker (Selwyn Boyce, GMC United), Most Outstanding Goalkeeper (Caster James, GMC United), Most Goals (Troy Greenidge, Northern United), MVP of the Final (Rohan Lambert, GMC United), MVP of the Tournament (Caster James, GMC United), Coach of the Tournament (Daran Gaspard, GMC United), Championship Trophy (KFC GMC United).
Addressing the closing ceremony on Wednesday, GIFL President Shane Paul, said, “Our brand has maintained a high level of success and professionalism in every aspect of our game. The 2017 GIFL Invitational Football Tournament dubbed the ‘Spider Cup’ was no exception from the launch to the final. I knew we were in for a fascinating tournament.”
Thirty-six Under-20 players took part in the tournament for the first time and, according to Paul, it augurs well for the Gros Islet Football League. In fact, for the first time for football in the north of the island, a new category was created, the Emerging Player Award.
Paul thanked all those who contributed in one way or another in making the 2017 event a major success.
Among those coming in for special mention were tournament title sponsor, Saint Lucia National Lotteries Authority, Lenard Montoute, the referees, football clubs, and members of the media. Paul also challenged the parliamentary representative to increase his commitment in prize monies towards the tournament to bring quality towards the championship.
National Lotteries Authority representative, Cuthbert Elizee, said, “The NLA is pleased to have sponsored this year’s tournament and from all reports it was well managed.”
He also reminded the various teams in attendance that all youth and sports organization can apply for sponsorship through their parent body in order to receive funding for their various sporting activities.
In addressing the closing ceremony, MP Montoute said he was pleased to be associated with the premier football tournament in Gros Islet and congratulated the participating teams in the tournament, particularly Northern United for fielding three teams. He also congratulated all the awardees and the winning team KFC GMC United.
Montoute urged the other teams to emulate Northern United, because they are also involved in track and field, dance and netball.
“I intend to engage in a number of activities, not just the sponsorship and organization of tournaments, but other aspects of sports development to ensure that we make the landscape a lot more facilitating to our young athletes,” Montoute said.
He added: “We are going to look at the redevelopment of the Gros Islet playing facility. You know whenever I am your parliamentary representative, you get high standard playing facilities. At this time, I am not satisfied with the standard of the Gros Islet playing field (and) we have to return the surface to what it used to be a few years ago.”
