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By Neto Baptiste
A total of 18 talented footballers along with seven officials from the St Mary’s South Constituency, will be given the opportunity to travel to neighbouring St Kitts in August for a number of ‘friendly encounters’ against top teams in that country.
This is according to Member of Parliament for the constituency, Hon Kelvin ‘Shugy’ Simon, who said the team, which will carry the St Mary’s South name, will feature players from all three clubs in the area which are SAP FC, Bolans FC and Urlings FC.
“Well, it is going to be 10 [players each] to begin with coming to the training camp and then we will narrow it down to six because we can only carry 18. So they are tagged with the responsibility of choosing their best 10 players, which will eventually be broken down to six after we select the final squad. It is going to be on the basis of training that you will make the squad so it doesn’t matter how good you are – if you don’t come and train because it is just like the national team set-up where you have to participate in training to make the final cut,” he said.
Simon, the United Progressive Party’s (UPP) spokesperson on sports, said the initiative serves two main purposes, one of which is to build camaraderie among players from the three teams and also as a reward for their hard work and discipline throughout the domestic football season.
“We will be competing in three games against some of the top clubs down there and we’re collaborating with the football association down there, so we are going to make it a big event. It is something that has never been done and I don’t think we have seen this except for when a national team is travelling. I am hoping to use this as a form of disciplinary measure and one of the things that I told the clubs is that it doesn’t matter how good a player is, once there is a certain level or amount of infractions throughout the season – like if you get a certain amount of red cards or yellow cards – then we are not taking you. I hope that within itself would cause them to see the seriousness of discipline as a player,” he said.
The MP said the trip, the first of its kind by any constituency, will cost in excess of EC$50,000.
“Tickets alone is well over $25,000 because it’s going to be 25 people in all. I’ve given each club the opportunity to send along at least one person from management along with the six players and then of course, we have to see about physio and athletic trainers and so on to be a part of it. The trip itself is going to run us about maybe over EC $60,000,” Simon said.
SAP FC, former champions of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA), reached the three team round-robin playoffs after finishing fourth in the First Division standings this season, but were beaten twice in the competition leaving them with no chance of promotion. Bolans FC and Urlings FC both play in the Second Division.
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