Turks and Caicos Islands Scores a Silver in CFU Under-14 Challenge Series
Caribbean Football Union (CFU) staged the 2021 Girls Under-14 and Boys Under-14 Challenge Series on August 22-29. In previous years, different countries hosted groups. This year’s editions were all in one place- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and played across four stadiums. The Under-14 Challenge Series Tournaments are usually held in alternating years, however, last year’s edition for the boys was postponed due to the pandemic and resulting restrictions, hence the staging of both competitions this year. Therefore, all boys who were eligible to play last year were allowed to play this year, to avoid disenfranchisement.
The Challenge Series serves as a development competition for young teams, and also provides an opportunity for budding referees to spread their wings. Selected from respective territories, the tournament gave these individuals some of the much-needed international experience required to advance. Turks and Caicos Islands referees, Ancie Bernadin and Wilkiens Martin, were both invited to participate as fourth officials.
The tournament was played in a round-robin Format, with each team playing one match against the other teams in the same group. Teams were grouped based on their skillset, divided into two tiers - Tier I and Tier II. Turks and Caicos Islands girls were drawn into Tier II along with Aruba, Curacao, St. Kitts & Nevis and United States Virgin Islands. For the boys, Turks and Caicos Islands was drawn into Tier II along with Aruba, Bonaire, and US Virgin Islands.
Despite very competitive performances in all of their games, the Boys were not able to advance beyond the group stage.
However, Turks and Caicos Girls team was able to qualify from their group games to the finals against a very talented Aruba team. After a grueling match, Aruba won 3-0, a score which is not truly reflective of the tightness of the game. The Girls came second overall which was a historic result, as it marked the first time any team from TCI (male or female, junior or senior) competed in a final of a regional football tournament.
“I am beyond proud of our team and what they have accomplished. This experience is the true definition of ‘hard work pays off’. The girls are ecstatic and more focused than they have ever been. They are more motivated to play their best. And, they realize and acknowledge this historical moment for both the TCIFA and Turks and Caicos Islands. Our team has played a good defensive game that helped them to push forward in the competition, along with aggression and good shape. It feels amazing to have reached this far, and we are truly excited about our journey and future competitions,” said Girls U14 Head Coach, Olivia Graveley.
President of the TCIFA, Sonia Fulford reflected that “this tournament was an opportunity to provide international competition for our young boys and girls players. The performances of both teams were tremendous showing growth and development and speaks well for the future as we anticipate the matriculation of these players to the senior teams. I am especially delighted in the history making performance of our young female players who reached the finals and were runners-up in this international tournament. I would like to thank the parents of all our young players for entrusting us with their children and allowing us the opportunity to assist in their development both on and off the football field.”
