BVI squad set to compete in CONCACAF U15 Championship

August 1, 2023 by

A group of “bright and talented” BVI footballers are off to compete in the CONCACAF U15 Championship hosted by the Dominican Republic from August 6 – 13, 2023. The team is expected to put in a good performance.
 
The BVI team came top of Division C the last time the Championship was held in 2019. The team is now the top seed in the group, which includes Dominica and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The other teams which are in the same division as the BVI, but in separate groups, include Sint Marten, St Vincent and the Grenadines, the USVI, French Guiana, Anguilla, and Saint Maarten.
 
The squad, all members of which are based within the territory, is coached by Cassandra Gregg. Preparations have been intensive with a combination of regular training, tournaments and a series of friendly games all taking place in the past few months.
 
“Originally we were in a group of four and playing in Curacao, but how we are a group of 3 and playing in DR,” commented Coach Gregg. “We had a very successful tournament over Easter and, more recently, made a trip to play St Kitts, which was a great experience for the boys. What I always say to my players is anything they can do, we can do better,” she added.
 
First up will be a game next Tuesday, August 8th against TCI. The team will then play Dominica on Wednesday August 9th. Both games kick off at 9.00am local time.

Captain Mario Carter is feeling very positive about the teams’ chances. “Not too long ago we were in St Kitts and when we came back, we analyzed the games, saw the kinds of mistakes we made and worked hard in practice to correct them. We are mentally and physically prepared and although we have to work on a couple of things, like chemistry and discipline, I am very confidant,” he said.
 
The Assistant coach is Jeffrey Demming and the Goalkeeper Coach is Morris Mark.
 
The traveling squad includes Carter as Captain, Latreil Williams as vice-captain, Marc Tan, Christian Vanterpool, Tiandre Frett, Quyl Billingy, Myles Penn, Kyle Farrington, Akeem Paddy, Lashaun Gibbs, Temari Nanton, Othniel Gillings, Michael Findlay, Morris Mark III, Kenley Williams, Zeviah Abrahams, roman Nibbs, Malique Fenton, and D’Andre McSheen
 
“Our defense is very hard to get past and is really good, so once our midfield do their jobs, I’m pretty sure we will come out on top of our group,” said Coach Gregg.
 
BVI Football Association President, Andy Bickerton also noted that the young players were now well and truly on the pathway to Senior National team levels. “These boys are now playing at U15 levels and the next step from the BVIFA’s point of view is to be looking at the squad for U17 level. Two thirds of our Men’s National team have already come through our Youth Programs, so they all know that they way they behave on and off the field, with their studies and how well they represent the territory will keep them on that pathway.”

Filed Under: Football, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

BVIFA Boys’ U15 National Football team kicks off with a win at CONCACAF Championship in Florida

August 14, 2017 by

By the BVI Football Association

BVIFA U15 Boys National Football team at 2017 CONCACAF Championship, Bradenton, Florida. Photo: BVIFA

The BVIFA U15 Boys National team kicked off their CONCACAF Championship in fine style on Sunday, August 13, 2017, with a 4-0 rout of Anguilla.

The game, played in blistering heat at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, began at a slow pace, but it was the BVI Boys who were soon in the ascendancy as, after a spate of chances that went begging, Miguel Marshall fired home to open the scoring.

The BVI lead was soon doubled as Tyler Forbes rose high at the far post to get his head to a Luka Chalwell Cross.

Forbes then made it 3-0 early in the second half as he surprised everyone, spinning the off-side trap and flicking the ball past the Anguillan goalkeeper.

Number 4 came from the boot of Marcus Butler and the game was all over.

“I’m very proud of the team,” commented Guillaume Parkins, the team Captain. “We had four players that we hadn’t played with yet and they gelled into the set up perfectly. It was like heaven when the ball eventually went into the back of the net. We kept trying, Forbes is a beast and he did his job today. Butler thoroughly deserved his goal too.”

Next up for the BVI is Montserrat on Tuesday, followed by the Turks and Caicos on Wednesday.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: ,

BVIFA National U15 Boys’ team ready for St Maarten

May 26, 2017 by

By the BVI Football Association

The BVIFA National U15 Boys’ team will participate in the inaugural Soualiga Championship, St Maarten from June 2-4, 2017. Photo: BVIFA

The BVIFA National U15 Boys’ team has been hard at training at least three times a week, including playing practice matches against senior opposition and is now ready to depart for St Maarten next week to participate in the inaugural Soualiga Championship.

Teams also taking part include Anguilla, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Barbados, Dominica, Martinique and the USVI.

The full squad includes: Ikyjah Williams, Giovanni Grant, Jalen Prentice, Jhamal Prentice, Guillaume Parkins, Alejandro Santos, Shamoi Dore, Marcus Butler, Miquel Marshall, Justin Smith, Sheldon Harry, Luca Reich, Mekhi Walters, Luka Chalwell, Jerell Frederick and Kahil Farrington.

The BVIFA Technical Director, Marcos Falopa, has been in charge of the training along with Assistant Coach, Richie Morton and so far, has been happy with the progress of the squad and is quietly confidant.

“Our target at the Tournament is to see how the Boys will take the training into competitive match situations and show how much they have learned. We will be looking for technical and tactical improvements from the team and, of course, have to decide what system works best for the BVI. We will let the boys play to their own style and comfort on the ball, but also try to play in spaces and develop their team work.”

Falopa stops short of how far the team will reach at the tournament, but is very keen to see improvements in all aspects. “If just one or two players show they are learning new things and put them into practice, then we are on the right path.” he said.

The tournament which runs from June 2-4, 2017, is hosted by the St Maarten Football Association and will be followed by the CONCACAF U15 Championship in August 2017 at the IMG Academy in Florida.

“Another important reason to put in a good performance is that we will be heading off to Florida to compete against the best from our region, so St Maarten will be the ideal preparation for our boys,” said Falopa.

The tournament, which will take place from August 13-19, is expected to include a record number of youth players from CONCACAF’s member associations in a competition format designed to provide valuable experience. All 40 eligible CONCACAF member associations are expected to participate.

IMG Academy sits on more than 550 acres and features more than 20 multi-sport fields, 50 tennis courts, a 5,000-seat state-of-the-art stadium, two 10,000+ square foot weight rooms and residential halls and accommodations for athletes and guests. The IMG campus provides an ideal all-around environment for CONCACAF’s under-15 teams to train and perform.

In addition to providing a world-class venue, IMG Academy will also offer training and development programming for the athletes, coaches and referees. Programming could include coaching education, athlete leadership development, referee development and cognitive and visual perception training.

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: , , ,