As the 2024 National Sports Council BICO Primary School Football Competition prepares to kick off across Barbados this Tuesday, defending champions West Terrace Primary are stepping into their title defense campaign with measured confidence, poised to build on last year’s historic victory. The reigning champions will not open their first match until Wednesday, where they will face off against Sharon Primary at the Orange Hill playing field – the same pitch where they secured a narrow 1-0 win over Arthur Smith Primary to claim the championship trophy 12 months prior. This year, West Terrace Primary has been drawn into the competitive Dean Alleyne Zone, where they will go head-to-head with seven other participating schools: St Aban’s Primary, St Stephen’s Primary, St James Primary, St Matthews Primary, Good Shepherd Primary, Welches Primary, and their opening opponent Sharon Primary. In an exclusive interview with local outlet Barbados TODAY, long-serving team coach Roderick Harmon opened up about his squad’s preparations and outlook for the upcoming tournament, emphasizing his stance of cautious optimism for the campaign ahead. Harmon revealed that a core group of key players from last year’s title-winning roster have returned to the team this season, a strength he believes will give West Terrace a critical competitive edge over the other competing squads. “From the pre-tournament launch, it’s clear this is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tournaments we’ve seen in years, with lots of promising young new talent across all participating teams. We’re all ready and raring to get started, and we’re just looking forward to playing good football and enjoying the whole experience,” Harmon shared. “Thankfully, we’ve retained around six or seven players from last year’s championship side. These kids already know what it takes to compete at this level, they’ve stood on that winning stage, and that experience goes a long way. The entire squad is buzzing with excitement – winning a title only fuels that hunger to do it again. The returning boys are eager to get back on the pitch, and our new young recruits have already shown they can hold their own against tough competition.” The veteran coach, who has spent more than 20 years developing youth sports teams across multiple disciplines including athletics and cricket, leading multiple squads to championship titles, added that the team has not been weighed down by the pressure that comes with being defending champions. Instead, the program stays focused on its core long-term goals for player development. “After coaching at this level for more than two decades, I’ve learned to spot what championship-level potential looks like, and our goal every year is to help our players reach that standard,” Harmon explained. “We always make sure the kids understand that success doesn’t just come easily. You have to put in the hard work at every training session, keep a positive attitude, and if you do those things, success will follow with a bit of luck.” One notable rule and venue change for this year’s tournament is that the semifinal and final matches will be hosted at the Barbados Football Association’s state-of-the-art Wildey Technical Centre, a major upgrade from previous editions of the youth competition. This shift has earned widespread praise from coaches including Harmon, who says the new venue offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the young student-athletes. “I think this is such an important change for these kids. It gives them a chance to experience what it’s like to play at the highest level of the sport, on the best facilities that Barbados has to offer,” he noted. “Exposing young boys and girls who love football to top-tier infrastructure gets more kids excited to get involved in the sport. When they get to play on a pitch like that, it gives them something to work toward and encourages them to put forward their best performance every time they step on the field. It’s a really positive change for the whole competition.” This year’s edition of the tournament has drawn a record-level turnout, with more than 70 primary school teams from across the island registering to compete. 15 opening round matches are scheduled to kick off at venues across Barbados on Tuesday, the first official day of the national competition.