Caribbean teams sparkle in

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1 SUMMER EDITION 2015, VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7, CARIBBEAN FOOTBALL UNION NEWSLETTER ARTICLES 4 GFA and the Grenadian Sports Minister meet with CONCACAF 5 Patrick Beckles is a man for all football seasons 7 New BFA Gen-Sec to focus on infrastructural development 8 Haiti tops CFU 2015 Men s Olympic Qualifiers 8 CFU inaugural Boys Under 15 Tournament was a success 9 Teams ready for CFU Women s U-17 Qualifiers Final Round Caribbean teams sparkle in CONCACAF Gold Cup N ever before in the history of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition have Caribbean teams shown such gallantry in the twenty-four-year-old biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup as in the year To say that the quartet of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago played well would be an understatement. In fact, it Reggae Boyz Captain Rodolph Austin in action against USA would be more accurate to state that the Caribbean teams have seemingly closed the gap on their more illustrious opponents from Central and North America and are no longer the underdogs of this prestigious event which was hitherto dominated by the latter group. The Caribbean nations displayed much dexterity and in the process, overwhelmed the region with pride by reaching the quarter-final stage of the competition this year. In so doing, they demonstrated the tremendous strides the region has evidently made in its football development. Although of the four, only the Jamaican team advanced to the semi-final, the message has been sent to all rivals that the Caribbean has evolved into a force to be reckoned with at the highest level. President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Gordon Derrick, witnessed first-hand the fine performances of the teams, noting the tactical and technical aspects of their game. According to Derrick, The CFU and the Caribbean Region are satisfied with the Cont d page 2

2 GOLD CUP...cont d performance of the Caribbean teams and to be more specific, the Jamaican team, in this 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. No longer can the Caribbean teams be labelled as participants, but as competitors who have made their presence felt in a very professional and significant way, he declared. Despite Jamaica losing 3-1 at the finals and placed as runnersup and the other teams turned back in the Knock-Out stages, this recent performance speaks volume and is a testament of the development of football in the Caribbean. Derrick added: The performances of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago are clear examples that the Caribbean is no longer the boondocks of CONCACAF football. This performance is the new beginning as the Caribbean moves forward to continue to fly the CFU flag by playing international football with pride, purpose, passion and performance with the intention of reaching to the highest level of football. In the preliminary stages of the competition which was staged in the United States and Canada, Haiti drew 1-1 with Panama, lost 1-0 to defending champions USA and defeated Honduras 1-0. Trinidad & Tobago, meanwhile, outplayed Guatemala 3-1, blanked regional counterparts Cuba 2-0 and drew 4-4 with Mexico. 2-0 to Trinidad & Tobago, rebounded and dug deep to defeat Guatemala 1-0 in a dramatic performance. In the quarter-final KO stages, Cuba were beaten 6-0 by the USA, Haiti lost 1-0 to Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago lost 6-5 on penalties to Panama after a 1-1 regulation and extra-time score, and Mexico edged Costa Rica 1-0. The results meant that Jamaica s Reggae Boyz were pitted against the might of the defending champions USA in the semi-finals on July 22 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Jamaicans, fuelled by the Caribbean support from the stands, stepped up to the challenge and with the echoing of Reggae music in their heads, shocked the hosts 2-1 in the latter s backyard for the first time in history, thereby making it to their first Gold Cup final, against Mexico. This was the ultimate goal of the Caribbean team, who were ready for the challenge. After a gallant display, the Reggae Boyz fell 3-1 to the experienced Mexicans, but were never embarrassed. The Reggae Boyz and the other Caribbean teams are unquestionably focused and are fully prepared going into the challenges of the Road to Russia FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. With these calibre of performances, the Caribbean region could be well on its way to parade a team in the World Cup Finals of Jamaica drew 2-2 with Costa Rica and clipped both Canada and El Salvador 1-0, while Cuba, after losing 6-0 to Mexico and Jobi McAnuff Jamaica vs Haiti Haiti against Honduras in Gold Cup action 2

3 Cuba in action against Guatemala Trinidad & Tobago vs Mexico in Gold Cup action Cuba- Team Gold Cup Jamaica - Team Gold Cup Trinidad & Tobago - Team Gold Cup Haiti - Team Gold Cup 3

4 GFA and the Grenadian Sports Minister meet with CONCACAF four man delegation led by Grenada s Minister of Sports, A Emmalin Pierre, and President of the Grenada Football Association, Cheney Joseph, concluded a successful meeting with representatives from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on Monday, July 30, at the Spice island Beach Resort in Grenada. The CONCACAF delegation included, Ted Howard, Acting General Secretary, Inaki Alvarez, Director of Operations, Horace Reid, Director of Competitions and Ricardo Sarille, CONCACAF Event Manager for the tournament. Other members of the delegation were Alvin Clouden, Grenada s LOC Project Manager and Acting General Secretary, Malaika Church. The purpose of this meeting was for the Grenada delegation to meet with CONCACAF officials to discuss Grenada s hosting of the CONCACAF Under-17 Girls Championship March 3-13 next year. The tournament will see eight teams competing in the Spice Isle. The teams already qualified are host country Grenada, Canada, Mexico and the USA and the other four will be the top teams from the CFU Women s Under 17 tournament currently underway. The Government of Grenada and the Grenada Football Association will partner to host this event, a first of its kind for the Spice Isle. The Grenadian delegation updated CONCACAF on its state of readiness as well as identifying areas for assistance from CONCACAF. Cheney Joseph Grenada FA President Grenadian Sports Minister, Emmalin Pierre in reiterated her government s support for the advancement of football on the island especially female soccer said, We have made a pledge to support sports on the island and the hosting of this major event will most certainly provide many opportunities for our country. Our new Football and Athletic stadium is a testimony to our government s support and we want to assure you that Grenada will do all it can to make the event successful. Grenada is no stranger to hosting international events, she continued, and our recent experience hosting the ICC World Cup as well as the test match between England and the West Indies are two major events we can boast about, Minister Pierre boasted. 4

5 Patrick Beckles is a man for all football seasons Barbadian Patrick Ian Beckles is a man who wears many caps in football, having represented his country Barbados, the Caribbean Football Union, CONCACAF and football s world governing body FIFA, in various capacities. Beckles, who considers himself to be in his prime, was raised by his grandparents in Pie Corner in the parish of St Lucy. He attended St Clement s Infants and Junior High Schools, Harrison College, Barbados Community College and the University of the West Indies (UWI). A true professional, Beckles has held several positions in the sport of football such as Match Commissioner, Football Consultant, FIFA Instructor and FIFA Security Officer. Beckles passion for the game was stimulated at an early age when as a youngster he played amateur football within his Parish and then in national Divisions 4 through to 2 with the St. Lucy Football League Parish team. Patrick Beckles in Egypt at a FIFA-CAF Seminar for National Security Officers While growing up in Barbados as a young man I was impressed by two renowned Barbados cricket coaches from the Top Rankin Sports Club, Ronnie Griffith and Henderson Springer, who I must admit both played significant roles in my amateur football development as they took principled positions in relation to the importance of proper technical training. Beckles was also a coach for the Parish Division 3 team, which he guided to national KO quarter-final berths for three successive years. He played at College in the Inter-House competition and loved to race home from school to play scrimmage and train to play for local parish tournaments. His interest in football saw him making the Natural Science Department team at the Barbados Community College and a club team in the University of the West Indies club competitions. Beckles told the CFU BEACON that his passion for the game was fuelled after watching a documentary on Brazilian legend Pele. He was first introduced to football by his eldest brother Bentley and a few other individuals in his neighbourhood. I developed into a very quick and strong tackler and before long I was playing at right-back and right wing positions, he recalls. My passion for football took off and I kept preserving and it s my desire to continue to climb. I love to play other games socially. I am an avid card player (hearts). I play draughts and scrabble also and I am very competitive. I have played cricket and volleyball as well but was never too keen on pursuing those games, he shared. 5 However, my football administration potential was discovered in 1985 when I worked with Youth Uprising Sports club for one year, then with Top Rankin Sports Club as Club Secretary in From then my interaction with David Headley of the St. Lucy Football League imbued in me principles of fairness, transparency, doing things in keeping with regulations and developing an eye for details, Beckles added. He said in 1992 while he was coach of the St. Lucy Parish League s BFA team he was appointed to attend meetings with the Barbados FA Executive Council. It was from these meetings that he was asked to complete the term (one year) of the then Barbados FA General Secretary Randolph Harris who resigned in I became the youngest BFA General Secretary at that point and worked with the BFA in that capacity until year 2000, continuing in the employee position of Administrative Officer until December I have had the pleasure of and continue to meet and work with some dedicated, resourceful and amazing colleagues, Beckles told the BEACON. Football is very much about team work and I can attest to working with some of the best at all levels. I have learnt well, how and what to do, and in some instances, equally important, what not to do, he declared. Cont d page 6

6 PATRICK BECKLES...cont d Some of the football administrative icons that I have admired over the years are Bill Shankly (Liverpool, England) and Anderson Murphy (Top Rankin, Barbados). Persons that has influenced me in football administration are David Headley (St. Lucy Football League, Barbados), Hugo Salcedo (USA), Hon. Ronald Jones (Barbados FA), and Lisle Austin (Barbados FA and CFU Founding Member and CONCACAF /FIFA Order of Merit recipient). Beckles international exposure was realized in October, 2003, when he was invited by the then CFU General Secretary Kerri- Ann Alleyne to act in the role of Match Commissioner as none of the other Commissioners in Barbados were available for a Caribbean Club Championship match in Jamaica between a Jamaica and a Cayman Islands club. I took on the role and did my best and the rest is history. One of the most memorable of experiences I had while working in the position of a Match Commissioner was on August 20, 2008, during a FIFA World Cup Qualifying 2010 South Africa game played at the Azteca between Mexico and Honduras with 81,100 people in attendance. As a neutral, it was amazing to see the support of the home fans pressing for the inclusion of Cuauhtémoc Blanco who came on to score one goal. Mexico defeated Honduras 2-1. I was standing immediately next to the Referee Assessor, Brian Hall (USA), but we could hardly hear each other, he related. On the more challenging side, another notable experience was in a July 2011 World Cup qualifying game when two teams arrived the day before the match day without uniforms and other equipment. Even the two goalkeepers of the visiting team said their contact lenses were in their checked luggage. Beckles has held the administrative positions of CONCACAF Match Commissioner from 2004 to 2012; CONCACAF General Coordinator, 2009 (Seattle); CONCACAF Assistant General Coordinator, 2009 (Dallas); FIFA Instructor, Administration and Management, 2009 till present; FIFA Consultant, Performance Programme; FIFA Match Commissioner from 2004 until present; and FIFA Security Officer/Senior FIFA Security Officer from 2009 to the present. In 2014 Beckles became an INTERPOL certified Instructor of Footballers, Referees and Coaches in the Prevention of Matchfixing and in 2015 was trained as Diversity Officer under the aegis of CONCACAF. Beckles, who has worked as a Match Commissioner since 2003, has travelled to thirty-eight countries, including the Caribbean, North, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Said the versatile Beckles: Wearing several caps has helped me to realize My passion for football took off and I kept preserving and it s my desire to continue to climb. most of my dreams, to work in football, to travel, to watch Brazil play a competitive match, to go to a World Cup Finals and to give back through consultation, courses conducted and mentoring. It has developed my critical life skills such as time management skills; fostered an interest in learning the basics in new languages; appreciating new culture; improved my people skills; mediation and conflict resolution skills and presentation skills. He said he met and become friends with people from across the world and with the advent of social media, the football world had become part of the global village. It has also fostered an appreciation for the overall objective whilst giving me an eagle eye for details and the importance of striving always for perfection. Football has completely overtaken cricket as the most popular, most played and watched sport in the Caribbean, he concluded. 6

7 New BFA Gen-Sec to focus on infrastructural development Computer Programmer and Designer Edwyn Wood is the new General Secretary of the Barbados Football Association s (BFA), effective July 1st, 2015, following his election by the body s Executive Committee following the resignation of Joyce Stuart. Other members of the BFA Executive body are Randolph Harris (President); Captain Al Walcott (Senior Vice President); Barney Callender (Treasurer); Ashton Chapman Junior (Assistant Secretary); Nicole Puckerin (Assistant Treasurer); and Members Thomas Jordan, Junior Allsopp, Adrian Donavan and Gregory Thompson. Wood, a Bajan by birth, was elected as Treasurer of the BFA in September of He held this position until his appointed as General Secretary. After Stuart s resignation, Wood was approached by BFA President Randy Harris and other members of the Executive Board who asked him to fill the position. He gave it some thought and finally accepted the position. This was unanimously ratified by the board. While growing up in Barbados, Wood had a passion for football and played in the BFA s Division Two and Division One. He also played for St. Michael School in the 1980s. In the 1980s and 90s he played for three different clubs in the Third Division, with Drax Hall United now defunct. He also played with Ellerton United in Division Two as well as for Greens United. Wood s favourite positions were at left wing and left full-back. Asked by The BEACON to lend a perspective on the BFA and his plans to develop its administration and the game in Barbados, Wood said: The BFA is at a very crucial point right now. We have rode a wave over the past two years that has not been very smooth, but I think our efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Our main focus is to put proper infrastructure in place for our players to be able to perform at their peak. He further explained: This means finishing the administration building, and the football stadium so that the BFA can have a home for football. With these things in place we can focus heavily on player development and put more emphasis on the Grassroots Program and our national team programmes. Edwyn Wood new Barbados FA General Secretary At the same time we will still be focussing on developing our players with what resources we have available to us until such time when we can do more. Woods added: From an administrative point of view I bring over twelve years of management experience in the private sector and with this I am hoping that I can create and maintain a very efficient BFA in everything that we do. When I plan I don t expect to fail, so if I can get those working with me to think the same way then we should be ok. Wood said that to date he has not had much interaction with the CFU, but he believes the regional body has an important role to play in the Caribbean and should assist with coaching education and administration. The BFA was founded in 1910 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in Its original name was the Barbados Amateur Football Association. However, the name was changed in Football is one of the most popular sports on the island, currently catering to over 17,000 players, males and females, from the juniors to the master s level. The Barbados Football Association became affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in 1968 and is also an affiliate of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and the Confederation of North American, Central American and Caribbean Football Associations (CONCACAF). The BFA is currently developing a home for football for the training and development of the game to include an international size football field, administrative offices and team facilities on land Government has provided at the Garfield Sports Complex in Wildey. 7

8 Haiti tops CFU 2015 Men s Olympic Qualifiers Haiti clipped Cuba 1-0 to top the Caribbean Zone of the 2015 Men s Olympic Qualifiers on Sunday, August 16 at the Stade Sylvio Cator in Haiti while Jamaica defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2 to take third place at this same venue. Both Haiti and Cuba will advance as the Caribbean Zone representatives to compete in the CONCACAF Men s Olympic Tournament set for October of this year. The winning goal was scored by Haiti s Jonel Desire in the 19th minute. Jamaica were placed third after defeating St Vincent and the Grenadines 3-2 in an earlier game played at this same venue. Romario Williams scored the opening goal in the 8th minute. Chevel Cunningham equalized for St Vincent and the Grenadines in the 15th minute but Michael Seaton put Jamaica in front in the 25th minute ending the first half 2-1. In the 53rd minute Aoux Anderson brought the score line level again ending the regulation time with a 2-2 score line. However, during extra time the Jamaicans got the clincher when Seaton netted in the 100th minute to end the game 3-2 in their favour. CFU inaugural Boys Under 15 Tournament was a success Curacao are the champions of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) inaugural Boys Under-15 Championship which was staged between August 8 and 16 in Sint Maarten and Anguilla at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex and the Raymond E.G Guishard Technical Centre respectively. Second place went to the Dominican Republic while the Cayman Islands was placed third. The Tournament s Most Valuable Player and Golden Boots Awards went to Nathan Bernadina of Curacao while the Golden Glove Award went to Mario Jose Marte of Dominican Republic and the Fair Play Awards went to Grenada. President of the CFU Gordon Derrick speaking at the opening Gala held at the Westin Dawn Beach Resort before the opening of the tournament games said, On Behalf of the Executive Committee of the CFU I extend best wishes to all the participating Member Associations and Match Officials. We are grateful for the demonstration of commitment to the President of the CFU Gordon Derrick development of the game at all levels through participation in the inaugural, biennial CFU Under-15 Boys Championship. We at the CFU remain determined to create opportunities for football and its associated talents in the region to be developed. Consequently, as part of our on-going development schedule the current cadre of Referees being appointed for this tournament are Non-FIFA certified but have demonstrated the skills and all the attendant criteria to allow for their participation as they continue to prepare for a career on the FIFA list of International Referees. 8 Cont d page 9

9 INAUGURAL U 15...cont d Congratulation to all teams and Match Officials who have been appointed, Gordon concluded. President of the Sint Maarten Football Association Sudesh Singh also gave a speech and had this to say, I first would like to welcome everyone to the island of Sint Maarten and hope all the teams have a fun and competitive tournament. Singh also spoke about what the tournament means to his association and the island itself. I want to thank CFU and Also CONCACAF for giving us the opportunity to host a tournament of this magnitude. This tournament will be the biggest soccer event ever held in Sint Maarten and although challenging we look forward to learn from this experience and build the sport of football in Sint Maarten. Twelve countries competed in this competition and were placed into three Groups 1, 2 and 3. In Group 1 the teams were the Cayman Islands, Anguilla, St Lucia and US Virgin Islands. In Group 2 the teams were are Dominican Republic, St Kitts and Nevis, Bonaire and Grenada while Group 3 consisted of Curacao, Antigua & Barbuda, St Maarten and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Eight teams advanced to the Knock-Out stage and which was played in St Maarten on August 12. The teams were the winners of the three groups, the Runnersup of the three groups, the Best 3rd place team and the 2nd Best 3rd place team. The semi-finals was played in St Maarten on August 14 and the staging of the grand finale was on August 16, in Phillipsburg. During the tournament the top goal scorers were Nathan Bernadina of Curacao netting eleven goals, Luchenthly Vrutaal of Curacao scoring seven, Freddy Feliz of Dominican Republic six, Kareem Foster from the Cayman Islands six, Shalon Knight from Antigua and Barbuda six and Linus Clovis from St. Lucia five. Teams ready for CFU Women s U-17 Qualifiers Final Round Cuba, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Barbados have qualified for the Final Round of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women s Under 17 Qualifiers which is scheduled to start on November 13-18, in Puerto Rico. Hosts Puerto Rico automatically qualified for the Final Round. These eight teams have been divided into two Groups A and B. In this Final Round after the Knock-Out stage four teams will make the semi-finals and the two finalists will join Grenada to compete in the 2016 CONCACAF Women s U-17 Championship in Cont d page 10

10 WOMEN U 17...cont d Grenada are the hosts for this edition of this CONCACAF Women s Under-17 Championship. The teams in Group A are Cuba, Bermuda, hosts Puerto Rico and Jamaica, while in Group B the teams are defending Champions Trinidad and Tobago, beaten finalists Haiti, Dominican Republic and Barbados. During the preliminary games Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica topped their respective Groups 1, 2 and 4, in the same order, in the preliminary round group stage which ran from July 15 to 19 in three countries. In Group 3 which started on August 22 it was Trinidad and Tobago who topped that group with nine points from three games. In Group 1, Cuba garnered nine points from three games; the Dominican Republic earned six after winning two games; the Cayman Islands got three points from winning one game, while the Bahamas failed to earn a point after losing all three games. Haiti topped Group 2 by winning both games and gaining six points. Bermuda won one game and earned three points, while Curacao ended without a point. Trinidad and Tobago topped the tables of Group 3 by defeating Dominica 4-0, British Virgin Islands 8-0 and St Kitts and Nevis 4-0. In second position was St Kitts and Nevis on six points, Dominica next on three and British Virgin Islands nil. Jamaica racked up maximum nine points from three games in Group 4, followed by Barbados with six points. Suriname gained three points, while St Lucia never made it onto the score sheet. 10

11 For further information please contact the CFU General Secretariat, Communications Department The Towers - 10th Floor 25 Dominica Drive, Kingston 5. Jamaica Tel: +1(876) / 4657 Fax: +1(876) media@cfufootball.org, info@cfufootball.org 11