By: VINO

The road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ kicked off, officially, on Thursday January 15, 2015 in Miami Beach when representatives of CONCACAF conducted a preliminary draw for the region’s qualifying competition.

The event was overseen by Jeffrey Webb, President of the North, Central American and Caribbean Zone, but the job of pulling balls from the pots fell to a quintet of men who have all tasted World Cup action on the field of play. Shaka Hislop, goalkeeper of the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors that made history in Germany 2006, Carlos Pavon of Honduras, Mexico favourite Pavel Pardo and former USA defender Tony Sanneh were all on stage to lend a hand.

The biggest VIP, however, was Brazilian World Cup winner from 2002, Ronaldo, who did his part to help decide the fate of some of the smallest fish in the footballing pond.

The 14 lowest-ranked teams in CONCACAF (as of August 2014) were drawn in direct competition. The seven home-and-away series of Round One will take place in late March 2015 and will see some of the smallest nations in the Football family fight it out, chasing a distant dream.

Round One contests (first team hosts first leg):
Bahamas – Bermuda
British Virgin Islands – Dominica
Barbados – US Virgin Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands – St. Kitts and Nevis
Nicaragua – Anguilla
Belize – Cayman Islands
Curacao – Montserrat

“The journey to Russia begins today. I hope all of you in attendance are ready to embrace passage to a greater goal,” said President Webb, who will watch nervously as his native Cayman Islands take on Belize in the first round. Addressing his fellow CONCACAF dignitaries, he added: “Let us show the world what our region can achieve. We had our most successful World Cup in Brazil this summer, but we’ve only just begun.”

Canada, who reached the World Cup in 1986 and won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, join the fray in Round Two, playing the winner of the BVI v Dominica match up, scheduled for June of this year, along with Cuba and Guatemala. El Salvador, who twice reached the finals, in 1970 and 1982, also enter the competition at this stage, which will again consist of home-and-away series.
The winners move on to Round Three, the final round to be contested via home-and-away series, where Jamaica and Haiti – both veterans of previous World Cups – begin their hopeful journey to Russia.

The region’s top-six join the party in Round four, from November 2015 to September 2016, in a round-robin format. Costa Rica, USA, Mexico, Honduras, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago will vie with the remaining victors from the previous rounds for places in the final Hexagonal round, which pits the top six teams in the region against each other for three direct tickets to Russia 2018, and one potential fourth. It will mark the culmination of a 33-month competition in the CONCACAF zone.

Ten teams from the CONCACAF region have qualified for the World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930. The region counts among its ranks some of the smallest members of the FIFA family, but has been experiencing a renaissance of late, as evidenced by Mexico, USA and Costa Rica all reaching the knockout rounds at Brazil 2014.

The first games under the banner of Russia 2018 will take place across the Caribbean and Central America in just over two month’s time. At that moment, the humble games that lead to all the pomp and circumstance, the glory-hunt of the finals of 2018, will have officially begun.

By BVIFA

The U15 Girls cemented themselves atop the Honourable Marlon Penn Nine a Side Women’s League standings, with one round of matches to go, recording a resounding 6-0 victory over the Avengers on Sunday at Greenland’s Playing Field.

Keithreece Smith opened the scoring for the U15’s in the 20th minute with a low drive past Gloria Fahie, before Laresha Martin doubled the advantage just before the break, smashing home an unstoppable half volley.

Morgan Creque then was on hand to make it 3-0 early in the second half when she nodded home from close range after a Martin effort rebounded back of the bar. Smith scored her second following a lay back from Creque and Jackisha Rigobert made it 5-0 delicately curling an effort inside the far post.

Martin rounded out the scoring in the dyeing moments to give her team 10 points from 5 games and a 3 point cushion at the top of the table over the Panthers and Ballstarz.

The two clashed in the day’s second game knowing it was a must win encounter.

The Ballstarz struck early via the boot of Emily Lockhart and were able to hold on despite a tremendous performance by the Panthers. Both teams, in truth, produced the game of the season and it took all the skills, endeavour and experience of the Ballstarz to claim all 3 points.

The win puts both teams on 7 points, but the U15’s have a tremendous goal difference advantage their rivals heading into the last round on Sunday 18th January.

In the Men’s Division, the Islanders were handed a place in next Sunday’s Final with a forfeiture by the Rebels F.C.

The result, declared by the rules as a 3-0 win for the Islanders, was more than enough to see them leap frog Old Madrid and finish atop Group B.

The Panthers game against One Love was also a forfeiture, giving the Panthers their first win, 3-0, of the season, but made no impact on the Group A standings as the Ballstarz had already secured progression into the Final.

By: VINO

Troy Caesar will be joining a whole host of other Regional Footballers at the second Major League Soccer (MLS)/Caribbean Football Union Player Combine from January 2- 5, 2015 in Puerto Rico.

Caesar, who plays for the National Team as well as the Ballstarz in the BVIFA Premier league attended the inaugural event back in January 2014, will be given another opportunity to perform in front of League scouts in the hope of earning an invitation to the 2015 Adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The second Caribbean Player Combine takes place Bayamón, Puerto Rico and features players age 18 to 21 from around the Caribbean.
Twenty-four players from the region took part in the inaugural Caribbean Player Combine in 2014 held in Antigua and two moved on to feature in the MLS Player Combine. This year, the four-day event will take place at Bayamón Football Club facilities and will include training sessions and games against local clubs.

“We’re excited to be returning to the Caribbean with the prospect of identifying some of the area’s top young talent,” MLS Executive Vice President Todd Durbin said in a statement. “Our league currently features more than 25 players from the Caribbean Islands, including Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.”

“The Caribbean Football Union is extremely ecstatic about the second edition of this wonderful collaboration. Players throughout the union have now placed this event high within their calendar and see it as a major avenue in realizing their dream as a professional player,” Gordon Derrick, President of the Caribbean Football Union, said. “Providing meaningful advancement opportunities for our young talented players is one of our major corner stones and the MLS Caribbean Combine is that critical component in realizing this.”

The annual Adidas MLS Player Combine gives professional soccer scouts the opportunity to see top players in action prior to the annual MLS SuperDraft presented by Adidas. Participants have moved on to successful professional careers as well as participation in their national teams.

By: BVIFA

The U15 Girls cruised into top spot of the Marlon Penn Women’s Nine-a-Side League with an emphatic 2-0 win over the Ballstarz on Sunday 7th December at Greenlands Playing Field.

Keithreece Smith fired the U15’s ahead in the 18th minute after Lilly Pierce had won the ball from Laura Pompey and laid a perfect pass across the edge of the penalty box. The second came just two minutes later as Smith turned provider and Laresha Martin unleashed an unstoppable shot past Tevern David, deputizing in the Ballstarz goal.

League Table Marlon Penn Women’s Nine-a-Side

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	U15 Girls	4	2	1	1	7	5	1	+4
2	Panthers	4	2	1	1	7	5	6	-1
3	Ballstarz	4	1	1	2	4	3	5	-2
4	Avengers	4	0	3	1	3	3	4	-1

In the day’s earlier game the Panthers came from a goal down to beat the Avengers 2-1.

Kelienne Smith opened the scoring in the 12th minute, taking advantage of defensive hesitation to burst through and fire home from long range past Decima Lambert. The equalizer came early in the second half when Marie Lumley charged down a Brittany Peters clearance and got the luck of the bounce as the ball rebounded into the empty Ballstarz net. An own goal by Gloria Fahie secured all three points for the Panthers ten minutes later as she deflected in a shot by “CJ” Jackson.

By BVIFA

Old Madrid and the Islanders remained inseparable at the top of Group B in the Marlon Penn Nine a Side after a 1-1 draw on Sunday, November 23rd, 2014, as the latest round of matches concluded at Greenlands Playing Field, East End, Tortola.

Anreco Ramsey slotted home deep into the second half to seemingly hand all three points to the Islanders in the top of the Table clash only for a hotly disputed penalty kick to be awarded to Old Madrid in the third minute of added time at the end of the game.

Kenmore Simmons went down in a jumble of players in the Islanders penalty area and then dusted himself off to smash home the equalizer.

League Table Marlon Penn Nine a Side Mens League, Group B

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	Islanders	2	1	1	0	4	4	2	+2
2	Old Madrid	2	1	1	0	4	3	2	+1
3	Wolues	2	1	0	1	3	3	4	-1
4	Rebels	2	0	0	2	0	2	4	-2

 

In group A action, VG united put up a valiant performance against One Love after Jevan Wallace, in the 31st minute and Charles Bonnk, in the 33rd, had fired One Love into a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Alston Melay pulled one back for VG in the 36th minute to complete a frenetic period of goal scoring, but in the 49th minute Kenroy Palmer restored One Love’s two goal advantage.

Melay scored his second in the last minute of the game to leave the final score 3-2

League Table Marlon Penn Nine a Side Men’s League, group A

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	Ballstarz	2	2	0	0	6	4	0	+4
2	One Love	2	1	0	1	3	3	4	-1
3	VG Utd	2	0	1	1	1	4	5	-1
4	panthers	2	0	1	1	1	2	4	-2

 

In the Women’s League the Panthers put up the best performance of their season and anyone else’s with a 2-1 victory against the pre tournament favourites, the Ballstarz.

Marie Lumley opened the scoring for the Panthers in the 18th minute before Decima Lambert conceded an own goal equalizer under pressure from a Murcella Gordon corner in the second half.

The winner though came in the 44th minute as Jacinta Weekes latched onto a through ball to make no mistake against Chandni Wattley in the Ballstarz goal.

The Ballstarz defeat saw the U15 Girls team leapfrog them into pole position in the standings as they claimed a point from a 0-0 draw with the Avengers. Ironically the Avengers are the only unbeaten team in the league and yet are bottom with just 3 points.

League Table Marlon Penn Women’s Nine a Side

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	U15 Girls	3	1	1	1	4	3	1	+2
2	Ballstarz	3	1	1	1	4	3	3	0
3	Panthers	3	1	1	1	4	3	5	-2
4	Avengers	3	0	3	0	3	2	2	0

 

On Sunday 30th November Marlon Penn Nine a Side League action will feature the Avengers taking on the Ballstarz at 4.00pm, followed by the U15 Girls playing the Panthers at 5.00pm,.

In the Men’s League, at 6:00 pm the Panthers face One Love, whilst at 7.30pm the Rebels come up against the Islanders.

By BVIFA

Action in the Marlon Penn Women’s Nine a Side League, played at Greenlands in East End, Tortola, this past Sunday, November 16th, 2014, saw the Ballstarz hold off a concerted and tenacious challenge from the U15 Girls team to record a narrow 1-0 win and the Avengers salvage another draw, 1-1, having conceded the opening goal of the game to the Panthers.

That it took the more experienced Ballstarz well into the last 10 minutes of the game to unlock the well organized U15 Girls defense was ample warning that the next generation is coming up behind the more established players and is in no mood to be held back by established seniors.

The final blow was delivered by Yasmin Ruffell Smith with a well placed header in the 42 minute (games are 25 minute halves).

Marie Lumley opened the scoring for the Panthers in the 17th minute after a sustained period of pressure, but then her team relaxed and allowed Makayda Fahie of the Avengers to equalize just 5 minutes later.

Panthers had a chance to steal all three points in the last few minutes of the game, but were unable to beat goalkeeper, Brittany Peters.

League Table Marlon Penn Women’s Nine-a-Side

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	Ballstarz	2	1	1	0	4	2	1	+1
2	U15 Girls	2	1	0	1	3	3	1	+2
3	Avengers	2	0	2	0	2	2	2	0
4	Panthers	2	0	1	1	1	1	4	-3

 

In Men’s action and in Group A, the Ballstarz maintained their 100% start to the new season with a 2-0 victory over the Panthers. Kevaughn Watson rounding out the scoring in the second half after Trevor Peters had scored in the 19th minute to make it 1-0 at the end of the first half.

League Table Marlon Penn Nine-a-Side Men’s League, Group A

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	Ballstarz	2	2	0	0	6	4	0	+4
2	VG Utd	1	0	1	0	1	2	2	0
3	panthers	2	0	1	1	1	2	4	-2
4	One Love	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	-2

 

Meanwhile in Group B, The Wolues bounced back from their loss in game one to beat the Rebels 2-1, condemning them to a second successive defeat of the campaign. Alex Fecora opened the scoring for the Wolues in the 23rd minute, before Howard Johnson leveled in the 26th.

The Wolues scored the winner through Marc Savage in the 40th minute.

League Table Marlon Penn Nine-a-Side Men’s League, Group B

	Team	PL	WI	DR	LO	PO	GS	GA	GB
1	Islanders	1	1	0	0	3	3	1	+2
2	Old Madrid	1	1	0	0	3	2	1	+1
3	Wolues	2	1	0	1	3	3	4	-1
4	Rebels	2	0	0	2	0	2	4	-2

 

The top team from each group will play in a Grand Final scheduled for January 2015, with the second placed teams competing for 3rd place.

By BVIFA

When you drop a pebble into a pond, ripples spread out, changing all the water in the pool, which is never the same again. Listening to this week’s featured female footballer, Sharlene Pond leaves you with the same feeling that her determination to succeed, both on and off the field, has washed over you and brought about a positive change in your own mindset as well as clarity to perceptions of what can be achieved through hard work.

Her soft-spoken demeanor belies her fierce competitive nature. If you didn’t know who she was you’d never realize this slender, quiet, sincere, almost shy woman is one of the most dedicated, passionate players in local women’s football!

Her quickness, speed and will to succeed have earned Sharlene Pond the right to be called one of the best female athletes in the Territory.

Pond, though, is not just a formidable footballer, but also has found time to continue her education and combine her love for sports with a single minded determination to succeed in her career, which currently sees her working at Nagico Insurances as a marketing assistant and medical insurance administrator.

Moving from Enis Adams Primary School in 2003 to Elmore Stoutt High School, Pond’s slim build and amazing turn of speed saw her starring on the track.

“I was a Track & Field Athlete for about eight years,” said Pond. “I participated in both Inter-primary and Inter-House Track and Field and trained with the Top Notch Track Club while in high school.”

Pond graduated from ESHS in 2008 and spent two years at HLSCC where she was introduced to Football and was recruited by the British Virgin Islands Football Association in 2010.

Despite her new found love for “the beautiful game”, Pond, now a member of the highly successful and respected Ballstarz team continued her education and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Monroe College as a Bachelor of Business Administration/Management/Marketing Minor and still found time to represent the BVI at U20 and Senior levels.

She is currently combining an arduous work schedule with tough preparation for an upcoming Representative Woman’s Tournament in St Croix, but in typical demure style doesn’t even see the time consuming demands as her toughest challenge.

“I am doing a lot of physical fitness training,” said Pond. “Strengthening muscles and increasing endurance, but my biggest challenge is influencing other women in the BVI to play football. There are far more men than women in the world playing football. It’s the same in the BVI. Women players are outnumbered 3-1. Football is not a major sport in our culture like track & field, so the real challenge for me is doing my part to change that.”

Acknowledging her biggest break through so far as being given the opportunity to represent the BVI as a player for the BVI Women’s National teams, Pond also intends to give back to the game by becoming a coach. “In the sense of the game of Football, my ultimate goal would have to be coaching. I would love to be able to take my love and knowledge for the game another level, that of coaching. I have the ability to learn and understand the game and pass on my experience,” she said.

Pond, who follows Barcelona and Brazil as her favoured teams, notes the best advice she has been given: “Seize the opportunities that are given to you and make every moment count,” recounted Pond. “Giving up is never an option. I am passionate about football. Absolutely love it. I not only play the sport but I watch it as well.”

She undoubtedly will inspire future generations to play the game: “Football doesn’t take talent only. It takes passion and dedication. Both aspects you will need to be successful in life. Football builds not only good team working skills but character as well and teaches one to not only be self-responsible but also to have team reliability. Those I believe are great life skills that a lot of us are lacking.”

She also firmly believes the competitive edge to the game creates great friendships and enjoyable rivalries “Rivalries are there because of the competition, but it makes the game more interesting as well as growing you as an individual and producing friendships that last for life.”

With such focus, Pond has quickly become a leading light in the resurgence of the women’s game and it is perhaps no surprise that her time off island saw a marked drop in activity, but that her return has seen a marked increase in participation as well as a renewed belief that the women will be taken seriously by administrators, fans and sponsors alike.

By: BVIFA

The Marlon Penn Nine A side League for Men and Women continued on Sunday 9th November with the U15s Girls team romping to a 3-0 win over the Panthers and the Ballstarz and Avengers battling to a 1-1 draw, whilst in the Men’s Division, Old Madrid snatched all 3 points against the Rebels with a late Kenmore Simmonds winner sealing a 2-1 victory and the Panthers securing a 2-2 draw with VG Utd, courtesy of Gregory James’ equalizer.

Gaby Dawson’s long range free kick put the young Ladies on their way to a well earned 3 points from their first game of the new season and after surviving some strong Panthers pressure, including an error by Akira Phillip, which saw the ball roll along the goal line before bouncing away as well as a couple of decent chances missed by Marie Lumley, the lead was doubled early in the second half via the cool head and deadly boot of Morgan Creque.

Jacinta Weeks nearly pulled one back for the Panthers, but Phillips stood tall when it mattered most to make the all important block, Keithreece Smith’s free kick was just, narrowly, too far ahead of Lilly Pierce, unmarked at the Panthers far post and Weekes was denied a goal scoring opportunity by a timely intervention from Shavonne Vanterpool.

As the game entered its final phase, Amanda Creese fired wide after Lumley and Gertrude Thomas bisected the U15 midfield, Taise Weatherley denied Creque a second goal and both Thomas and Lumley had last gasp half chances before Lareisha Martin broke through the Panthers defense to put some icing on the cake and make the final score line, 3-0.

The “derby” between the Ballstarz and Avengers, based on Tortola and Virgin Gorda respectively, unfolded as an epic encounter of cut and thrust football, combining some great personal “one on one’s”, individual skill and deft passing, with great saves and frantic clearances.

After Lavern Fahie and Kelienne Smith had created some early danger, including one effort from Fahie which nearly caught Chandni Wattley completely by surprise in the Ballstarz Goal, Kia Foreman brought out a fine save from Brittany Peters at the other end and Yasmin Ruffell- Smith saw her header flash wide of the post from a Murcella Gordon corner.

Moments later, though, the Ballstarz were ahead after Ruffell-Smith cut out a Peters Free Kick and Tevern David chased the loose ball down deep down the Avengers right flank, she then placed a pin point cross into the path of Victoria Medley-Parkins, who made no mistake from ten yards out.

The Avengers came close to an equalizer as the first half wore on, with Smith not quite able to guide home a Makayda Fahie free kick and some smart passing between Smith, Tia Modeste and Lavern Fahie requiring a smart save from Wattley to preserve the “home” team advantage.

Peters too had to be at her best to save from Sharlene Pond at the end of the first half, a save which became even more crucial as early in the second period, the Avengers found themselves level after Laverne Fahie reacted quickest to a poor clearance to slide the ball home past the advancing Wattley.

Claiming the momentum the Avengers piled on the pressure with a Modeste effort deflected away for a corner and the Ballstarz right back, Jehenelle Joseph, clearing off the line, but then the Ballstarz found another gear and it took a timely intervention from Sally St Catherine to help Peters clear away a Gordon Corner. Another Gordon corner gave Pond a chance to produce a spectacular winner, but she sliced her effort from the edge of the box and St Catherine cleared.

A foreman free kick was just over the head of a leaping Pond and then real drama in the dyeing seconds as a Gordon corner was half cleared from under her own cross bar by Peters and as the ball bounced away Laverne Fahie was adjudged to have handled the ball giving the Ballstarz a chance of winning the game from the Penalty Spot.

However, Gordon fired high and the game was drawn.

In Men’s action Simmonds opened the scoring for Old Madrid in the 16th minute before netting the winner in the 58th after Michael Smith equalized for the Rebels in the 44th and in the last game the Panthers were indebted to a second half strike from Gregory James to secure a share of the points in a 2-2 draw. Thomas Albert put VG ahead in the very first minute of the game, Corey Chin equalized a minute later and Allun Williams put VG back in front before half time.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Women :

4:00pm – Under 15s vs Ballstarz

5:00pm – Avengers vs Panthers

Men:

6:00 pm – Ballstarz vs Panthers

7.30pm – Rebels vs Wolues