Sint Maarten National Selection Preparing for First Game this Saturday
For the coming two weeks Sint Maarten will play host to eleven countries who will be competing in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) under fifteen (U15) Boy’s Championship. CONCACAF previously planned to host the second edition of its U15 boys tournament in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica but that tournament was cancelled. Instead the CFU took over to organize a twelve team tournament and chose Sint Maarten as the host country. The tournament fits with the CFU’s continued effort to remain determined to create opportunities for the development of football within the region. The Sint Maarten Soccer Association and the national soccer association of Anguilla have agreed to host this tournament.
The competition will feature twelve teams vying for the top spot which will be divided into three groups of four teams namely Groups 1, 2 and 3. Group 1 will be played at the Raymond E.G Guishard Technical Centre in Anguilla on grassed surface while Groups 2 and 3 games will be played on artificial turf at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex in St Maarten.
Eight teams will advance to the Knock-Out stage which will be played in St Maarten on August 12. The teams will consist of the winners of the three groups, the runners-up of the three groups, the best 3rd place team and the 2nd best 3rd place team. The semi-finals are scheduled to be played in St Maarten as well on August 14 with the staging of the grand finale set for August 16.
The Sint Maarten national selection of under fifteen has been practicing since July under coaches Sandro Garcia and Peter Suwyn. Sint Maarten will play its first match against the St. Vincent and Grenadines on Saturday 8th of August at 7:00pm. The Sint Maarten Soccer Association has invited the public of Sint Maarten to come out and support the national selection team and welcome the countries who are visiting during this championship. More information can be found on the SMSA Facebook page: Sint Maarten Soccer Association.