MANCHESTER, England – Ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated Premier League showdown at Old Trafford, Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick has framed the rivalry clash with Liverpool as one of the most special fixtures in global club football, even as neither side enters the match in the 2024-25 title race.
分类： sports
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Jamaica Hi – 5k Reggae Run ambassadors ‘on their marks’
South Florida’s beloved Jamaica-focused community fitness event is gearing up for its 2025 edition, with a star-studded roster of new ambassadors and growing participation projections that reflect its rising popularity among Caribbean diaspora communities. Dancehall icon Spragga Benz, veteran media personality and long-distance runner Patrice White, and Ky-Mani Marley have stepped into ambassador roles for the Jamaica Hi-5k Reggae Run/Walk, the announcement made during a recent virtual update hosted by Jamaica’s Consul General to the U.S. Southeast, Oliver Mair.
Widely recognized as the top community event in South Florida by Jamaicans.com, earning the title for both 2024 and 2025, the 5k gathering is far more than a casual running and walking competition. Conceived and spearheaded by Mair, the initiative blends physical activity, cultural celebration, health education, and philanthropic giving to strengthen connections among Jamaicans and Caribbean communities living in the United States. This year’s event will kick off at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 9 at Miramar Regional Park in South Florida, with a lively post-race celebration running from 10 a.m. to noon packed with engaging activities for attendees of all ages.
The post-race lineup includes a high-energy reggae-robics fitness class, a community health fair focused on accessible preventive care, and a nutrition-focused food court featuring live cooking demonstrations. These offerings align directly with the event’s five core guiding principles: tracking personal health metrics, maintaining consistent physical activity, prioritizing balanced nutrition, fostering intentional community connection, and upholding a commitment to collective giving.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to the Adopt-A-Clinic initiative, a program that delivers critical resources and operational support to medical facilities across Jamaica. The event is hosted by Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, and organizers have extended open invitations to runners, walkers, families, and community supporters from across the region and beyond to join the effort.
For Spragga Benz, the newly appointed ambassador role carries personal as well as community significance. During the announcement, he also shared a sneak peek of his upcoming multi-act production *Journey to Kingston*, scheduled for May 30 in Miramar, a show that traces the iconic dancehall artist’s decades-long musical journey. Expressing enthusiasm for his new ambassadorial post, Spragga Benz noted that the 5k’s community-focused format creates unique motivation for participants. “This 5k event helps to bring people together which motivates you better. I am definitely taking part….running, walking — whichever way,” he said. The artist, who earned the nickname “Spaghetti” in his youth for his slim, athletic build, shared that he maintains an active lifestyle to this day, and encouraged diaspora community members to make use of the region’s abundant parks and open public spaces.
Patrice White, an experienced runner who has completed 25 full marathons and 60 half marathons, shared actionable preparation tips for first-time participants and seasoned runners alike, drawing on her decades of racing experience. She emphasized that the final week leading up to the 5k is not the time for experimental training. “Now just a week before the event, please don’t try anything new — and I would not be advising the seasoned runners to attempt to squeeze in more hard running. Resting in the weekend more so the day before the event is important for everyone. Watch what you eat, especially days leading up to the event,” she explained.
White added that dietary familiarity and gentle digestion should be the top priority for pre-race eating, recommending easily digestible staples like pasta and sweet potatoes paired with adequate protein. She also stressed the importance of consistent hydration in the week leading up to the race, advising attendees to drink 8 to 16 ounces of water roughly two hours before the start time and continue sipping fluids throughout the event to avoid cramping and fatigue.
Organizers are projecting that around 2,000 people will register for this year’s event, a jump from 2024’s total of 1,500 participants that signals growing community interest in the initiative. For Mair, the 5k is more than a one-day gathering: it is a sustained movement to strengthen diaspora bonds and support Jamaican communities at home and abroad. “It’s a great networking opportunity,” Mair said. “It’s more than an event — it’s a movement.”
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Joacobie honoured for athletics feats
A group of track and field athletes from Saint Lucia have turned in a series of standout performances across recent collegiate competitions in the United States, highlighted by a historic award haul from high jumper Jenneil Jacobie at East Texas A&M University’s (ETAMU) annual end-of-season honors ceremony.
ETAMU’s annual awards event, dubbed the Luckys, celebrates the university’s top Lion student-athletes across three core pillars: academic achievement, athletic excellence, and community and personal growth. Jacobie, a senior pre-med student hailing from Grande Riviere, Gros Islet, walked away from the ceremony with four major trophies. Her honors include recognition as Most Outstanding Women’s Field Athlete, Female Breakthrough Performance of the Year, the Lion Heart Award, and the prestigious Lib Huggins Award for Female Athlete of the Year.
Jacobie’s award sweep comes after a career-defining 2026 season that followed tremendous personal and athletic adversity. After undergoing surgery that forced her to miss the entire 2025 competitive season, the senior jumped back to set a new ETAMU school record of 1.87 meters in the women’s high jump earlier this year. She also made history as the first athlete from ETAMU to qualify for and compete at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, capping a remarkable comeback story.
Beyond Jacobie’s historic achievement, multiple other Saint Lucian student-athletes competing at U.S. colleges have earned top-three finishes and set new personal and seasonal bests across a slate of major national competitions.
Natalie Albert, competing for the University of Memphis, secured third place in the women’s hammer throw at the LSU Alumni Gold meet, hosted at Bernie Moore Track Stadium. Albert notched a throw of 55.82 meters (183 feet 2 inches) — her second-best performance in any competition, coming on the heels of a personal best 56.57-meter throw recorded earlier in the 2026 season.
At the annual Penn Relays, one of the most prestigious outdoor collegiate track events in the country, Khailan Vitalis — the Saint Lucian national record holder in the men’s 110m hurdles and a junior transfer at Clemson University — also earned a spot on the podium. Vitalis ran 13.85 seconds in the preliminary round to advance to the championship division final, where he clocked 14.08 seconds into a stiff -1.3 meter per second headwind to claim third place overall.
At the Drake Relays, another major midwest collegiate competition, Mya Hippolyte of Western Illinois University notched a new season-best time of 11.93 seconds in the women’s 100-meter sprint, finishing 17th overall in a deep field of top competitors from across the country.
Additional standout results from other Saint Lucian athletes include:
– Jola Felix took third place in the women’s 100-meter sprint at the Pioneer Classic with a time of 12.57 seconds, and finished fifth in the same event at the Zac Kindler Invitational with a 12.80-second run
– Synai Glover won the women’s shot put event at the Virginia Pride Spring Kick-Off with a throw of 11.64 meters
– Malaika George placed sixth in the women’s 400-meter run at the Fredonia Blue Devil Invite, clocking 1:00.85
– Jasmine Stiede finished eighth in the women’s 800-meter run at the OU O Ring Opener with a time of 2:17.58
– Michael Joseph placed 13th in the men’s 200-meter sprint at the John McDonnell Invitational with a run of 21.16 seconds -
Bowen: Team has stepped up to another level
After a turbulent opening to the 2024 West Indies Championship, Barbados Pride have defied early setbacks to punch their ticket to the tournament’s playoff round, with team management and leadership crediting the squad’s unwavering tenacity for their comeback.
Last year’s tournament runners-up got off to a discouraging start, dropping their opening fixture to the Jamaica Scorpions in their three-match bilateral series. But the side bounced back in dramatic fashion: they secured a draw in the second encounter before delivering a dominant innings-and-11-run victory over the Scorpions at Kingston’s Sabina Park on Wednesday, a result that locked in their playoff berth.
In an interview with local media outlet Barbados TODAY following the decisive win, team manager Colin Bowen explained that the squad never lost confidence even after their opening loss, maintaining strong team morale through the entire series. “Jamaica has produced some explosive opening partnerships across this tournament – they’ve notched two 200-run stands and another close to 100,” Bowen noted. “But in this decisive innings, we managed to remove their opening pair very early, which is exactly the strategy we’d banked on to break through their batting lineup.”
While Barbados Pride’s batters have turned in consistent standout performances throughout the competition, Bowen emphasized that the bowling unit was the driving force behind the lopsided final win. He explained that playing surfaces at Jamaican venues have offered consistent, batting-friendly conditions throughout the championship, forcing bowlers to put in long, grueling shifts to gain an edge. It was only in an afternoon session on the final day of the third match that the pitch finally developed enough turn and bounce to let Barbados Pride’s bowlers take control, Bowen added, noting the surface reverted to its slow, docile state the following day.
Up next, the side will travel to Antigua to face Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in a playoff clash on May 10, with the winner advancing to the championship final to take on defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles. Though all other participating teams have already played a match in Antigua this tournament – giving them prior experience of the local playing surfaces – Bowen said the squad does not view this as a major disadvantage.
“We don’t see that as a significant edge for our opponents,” he said. “We’ve always held the belief that no matter where we play, if we perform to the best of our abilities, we can get the result we want.” Bowen added that the squad has avoided any major injury concerns through the competition so far, with the team’s physiotherapist and trainer successfully managing minor muscle and joint issues. The week-long break before the playoff will be used to address any lingering discomforts and get the full squad fully fit for the knockout round.
Team captain Kraigg Brathwaite echoed Bowen’s confidence, praising his players for their relentless effort and never-say-die attitude that turned the series around. “I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Brathwaite said. “We put in solid work starting from the second match, claiming first innings points even after Jamaica posted a huge total, and pulling off this win in the final game is a fantastic effort from everyone.”
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Column: Samenwerking!
For a small nation with fewer than one million inhabitants, lifting overall athletic performance to a more competitive regional and international level is an open, widely acknowledged goal. Yet for years, national sports federations have failed to deliver the systemic changes needed to turn this ambition into reality. Currently, scattered, siloed initiatives from disconnected sporting bodies have left the country unable to build a cohesive, high-performing sports ecosystem, even as abundant natural athletic talent exists across the population.
While exceptional individual talents do emerge periodically to dominate local competitions, these bright spots rarely translate to sustained success at higher regional tournaments. When matched against competitors from larger, better-organized sporting programs, these athletes consistently deliver underwhelming results, revealing the deep structural flaws holding the national sports sector back.
To stop squandering the limited resources already available, a fundamental course correction is urgently required, argues analyst Mireille Hoepel. Though the country’s small population size is a fixed constraint that cannot be changed, targeted strategic policy can align fragmented efforts toward a shared, effective vision. Instead of spreading thin public and private funding across dozens of under-resourced sports, Hoepel proposes a data-driven approach: conduct a thorough national assessment to identify which sport holds the greatest natural potential for broad participation and competitive success among the population, then redirect coordinated investment to that discipline.
Central to this new strategy is prioritizing high-quality coach training. A rigorous, standardized training pipeline for coaching staff is non-negotiable, Hoepel emphasizes, if the nation aims to develop athletes capable of competing at the regional level. Existing sports federations would still retain authority over their respective disciplines under the proposed framework, but they would be required to secure independent funding, particularly for costs associated with international competition participation.
Once a priority sport with broad national appeal is selected, the next step is to engage the private business sector to fund a long-term multi-year development plan. This sustained investment would lay a solid, stable foundation that can be built on gradually and responsibly over time. It also requires deliberate oversight to ensure the selected sport can be accessed and practiced across all regions of the country, fostering widespread public engagement and a larger talent pool to draw from.
Hoepel stresses that the core challenge is not the nation’s small scale, but the chronic lack of cooperation between disjointed sports organizations. Separate, uncoordinated activities from competing groups spread already scarce financial resources and human capital too thin, resources that could otherwise be pooled for a unified national development strategy. To address this, federations should organize national open trial days across the country to gauge genuine public interest in their sports. The sport that generates the highest levels of public participation and interest would then qualify for coordinated private sector funding to maximize its competitive potential.
Drawing a parallel to Iceland, a small nation that has punched far above its weight in international sport through targeted, cohesive strategy, Hoepel notes that unified collaboration can deliver far better competitive results, even for a country with a small population.
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Statement from Cricket West Indies on the passing of Norman Gilbert, President of the Grenada Cricket Association and Member of the Windward Islands Cricket Board
Regional cricket governing body Cricket West Indies has confirmed the sudden death of well-respected Caribbean cricket administrator Norman Gilbert, who served as President of the Grenada Cricket Association and sat on the Board of the Windward Islands Cricket. The announcement was made public on Thursday, 30 April 2026.
In an official statement released by Cricket West Indies President Dr. The Hon. Kishore Shallow, the organization extended its deepest sympathies to Gilbert’s family, close friends, and the entire cricketing community across Grenada and the broader Windward Islands region.
Widely remembered as a dedicated, forward-thinking leader, Gilbert spent decades advancing cricket across Grenada, leaving an unmatched, enduring impact on the local sport ecosystem. His relentless commitment to growing and expanding access to the game, paired with his sincere enthusiasm for lifting up cricket at every level from grassroots youth programs to professional competition, cemented his reputation as one of the region’s most beloved administrators.
Beyond his formal administrative contributions, Gilbert earned widespread respect across the Caribbean cricket community for his personal integrity, quiet humility, and unique ability to motivate players, fellow administrators, and industry stakeholders alike. He was widely recognized as a true guardian of the sport, who firmly believed in cricket’s unique power to bring diverse communities together and drive social progress across the region.
At this time of national mourning in Grenada, Cricket West Indies reiterated its full solidarity with the Grenada Cricket Association and the people of Grenada as they grieve the loss of one of their most influential sports figures. While his passing leaves a significant gap in Caribbean cricket leadership, officials note that Gilbert’s legacy will endure through the countless lives he mentored and the robust foundational framework he built to support the future growth of cricket in Grenada.
Cricket West Indies closed the statement by offering a final tribute: “May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
This report is based on an official statement released to SKNVibes.com, which published the release in its original received form without editing for spelling or grammatical corrections.
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Republic Bank CPL announces player acquisition and draft rules for 2026 season
The 2026 edition of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has kicked off its pre-tournament preparations with the official release of updated player acquisition and draft regulations, launching a fresh three-year competition cycle that will run from 2026 through 2028.
Crafted through collaborative discussions between league organizers, existing franchise owners, Cricket West Indies and other key stakeholders, the revamped regulatory framework introduces targeted adjustments designed to achieve three core goals: sharpen competitive balance across all participating sides, nurture young emerging cricket talent from the Caribbean region, and smoothly integrate the league’s first new franchise in recent years – the Jamaica-based Jamaica Kingsmen – into the 2026 tournament. All draft selections will be publicly revealed via the CPL’s official social media platforms on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Under the new squad composition rules, every competing franchise will build a 17-player roster for the season, split into three defined groups: nine senior players eligible to represent the West Indies national side, five players sourced from outside the Caribbean, and three development-focused Breakout Players.
As the expansion franchise joining the league for 2026, the Jamaica Kingsmen have been granted a set of unique draft privileges to help them build a competitive inaugural squad. The new side will hold the option to make the first three selections of the entire draft, with all three picks restricted to Jamaican-born or Jamaican-eligible players. The Kingsmen are not required to use all three of these priority picks, and none of these early selections can be countered by other teams using the league’s Right to Match Option (RMO). Additionally, the Kingsmen may only select a maximum of one player from any single existing franchise during this priority phase, and any team that loses a player to the Kingsmen in this opening round will be compensated with an extra RMO to use later in the draft.
After the Kingsmen complete their priority selections, the rest of the draft will follow a structured order based on 2025 season standings, a system designed to boost competitive parity by giving weaker performing sides from the previous year earlier picks. The RMO system, which allows existing franchises to retain 2025 squad members if another side selects them during the draft, has also been updated for the 2026 cycle.
Every returning franchise starts the draft with four RMOs: three can be used to retain any 2025 squad player regardless of their salary slot, while the fourth is reserved exclusively for domestic players (nationals of the franchise’s home territory) who occupied salary slots 7 through 17 on the 2025 roster. Any side that loses a player to the Kingsmen during the opening priority phase gains an additional RMO, which can be used in any draft round for any 2025 squad player from any salary bracket. The Jamaica Kingsmen will also receive one RMO of their own, which can only be used for a Jamaican player who held a salary slot between 7 and 17 in the 2025 CPL if they played last season.
Ahead of the formal draft, each returning franchise is permitted to retain one Breakout Player from their 2025 squad – the only pre-draft player retention allowed under the new 2026 rules. Breakout Players remain a cornerstone of the CPL’s talent development strategy, with a new mandate requiring every team to field at least one player selected in rounds 15 through 17 of the draft in their matchday 11 for every game of the tournament.
For overseas players, the rules allow franchises to sign up to five international players via direct private negotiation, and these signings will not enter the open draft. A maximum of four overseas players may be named in any matchday 11 during the tournament.
Michael Hall, Tournament Operations Director for CPL, emphasized that the updated rules strike a careful balance between welcoming expansion and protecting the league’s competitive integrity. “We have worked closely with the seven CPL franchises, Cricket West Indies, and other key stakeholders to develop a framework that allows us to successfully introduce a seventh team while maintaining competitiveness and fairness across the league,” Hall explained. “We are excited to see how the squads take shape and are confident that the expanded tournament will raise the standard of the CPL even further.”
This report is based on an official press release issued by Republic Bank CPL and distributed to regional sports media on April 30, 2026.
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Basketball federation targets grassroots investment
Grassroots basketball in Saint Lucia is receiving a transformative boost this year, as the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF) rolls out a coordinated strategy to expand access to the sport across underserved schools and underdeveloped local communities. Centered on combining critical equipment donations with expanded coaching education, the federation’s multi-phase plan aims to reignite local basketball programs and nurture new generations of talent across the island.
In April, the SLBF distributed new basketballs to three of its affiliate organizations, a move that federation president Glen “Kala” Guiste stresses is far from an isolated gesture. “These balls weren’t just handed out and left,” Guiste explained in a recent statement. “Over the past several months, we’ve intentionally expanded our network of trained coaches across the country. Just this past December, we hosted a Level One coaching certification clinic, and that has put more qualified instructors in communities that have long lacked support.”
Guiste emphasized that the distribution strategy was intentionally mapped to match existing and emerging local coaching capacity. Every community and school that received new basketballs already has active coaching staff in place to put the equipment to use, creating a sustainable foundation for ongoing programming.
The three affiliates that received donations include the newly admitted Choiseul Youth and Sports Club, alongside returning members Babonneau Dynasty and the Dennery Basketball League. All three groups already run independent youth basketball programs and have functional local court facilities that are now being put to greater use with the new equipment.
In Babonneau, the federation has directly supported a community program led by Dunby St Marthe, a seasoned player who currently competes in the national league. Over in Choiseul, local leader Jonathan Chalon has already installed new basketball rims, bringing the community’s court fully online for regular play. Guiste noted that the visible progress in these areas is encouraging, even as he called for additional investment to support more historically basketball-focused communities across the island.
New basketballs have also been delivered to Basketball For The Future, a community program that is restarting its operations at The Gardens in central Castries. In Dennery, a region that was once a powerhouse in Saint Lucia’s local basketball scene, Guiste reports that grassroots participation is already showing clear signs of resurgence following the donation.
Looking ahead, the federation has plans to expand its work into public schools through a new partnership with the Ministry of Education. Sometime this summer between June and July, SLBF will host a specialized basketball coaching clinic for physical education teachers from across the island. The organization expects at least 40 PE teachers to participate in the training, equipping them to bring structured basketball programming to more students in every region of Saint Lucia.
The federation’s push for growth has been bolstered by external donations from community and corporate partners, extending the impact of its grassroots work. Back in 2023, former national team player Marcellus “Bax” Stiede donated basketballs to two local schools: Gros Islet Infant School and St Aloysius RC Boys School. That same year, 1st National Bank contributed new basketball uniforms to Patricia D James Secondary School, an institution whose boys’ team has earned a third-place finish in national school tournaments multiple times.
To continue building out its coaching pipeline, the SLBF has already scheduled a pre-Level One coaching certification course for November, keeping its talent development work on track through the end of the year. The combined strategy of equipment investment, coaching education, and cross-sector collaboration marks a comprehensive push to cement basketball’s growth at the local level across Saint Lucia.
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Braves overcome Peace and Love in domino clash
After a weekend of high-stakes matches across the National Domino Association’s Four Hand League, one team stands alone at the top of the Premier Division with an unbroken winning streak: Carlton and A1 Braves. The top-of-the-table clash pitted the two last remaining unbeaten teams against each other, with Carlton and A1 Braves delivering a statement 38-point victory over Peace and Love to claim their spot as the league’s only undefeated club. Leading the charge for the winners, Sharon Sherry Lynch and Jonathan John Grandison notched an impressive 26 points, while teammates Charmaine and Hamilton “Hammy” Durant contributed a solid 20 points to lock in the 88-50 final score.
The weekend’s action delivered a full slate of results across the Premier League, with every competing side putting points on the board in a series of decisive matches. Powerade Locked & Loaded secured a comfortable 20-point win against BNECL, finishing 73-53 ahead thanks to a 23-point performance from the pairing of Ruldoph Walkes and Darren Ellis. In another lopsided fixture, HIV Commission Hillside downed A and B Pest Control Vauxhall by an identical 36-point margin, 88-52, with Algernon Cox and Steve Alleyne combining for 18 points to lead their side to victory.
Buzo Osteria Welchman Hall picked up a 12-point win over French Village Piranhas, closing out the match 71-59 led by Shurland and Vondel Bovell, who scored 21 points between them. RM Cleaners earned an 19-point victory over 37 Family KC Joint, finishing 80-61, while Massy Spring Cottage notched a matching 20-point winning margin against Speightstown with an 80-60 final score. Police secured a 76-58 win over De Clique, Trident Insurance Patriots defeated RL Seale QEH by a 22-point margin 80-58, and Eastbourne pulled off a 27-point win against Checker Hall, 84-57.
Rounding out the Premier League results, B.U.T dominated Hindsbury to win 88-51, JD’s secured a 25-point victory over St Joseph 76-51, and Bathsheba earned a comfortable 25-point win against Newbury, closing out 79-54. Alongside the top-flight action, Division One also held its latest round of fixtures, with four teams walking away with wins: Spring Cottage, Police, Patriots, and Eastbourne repeated their Premier League counterparts’ winning form to claim victories in the lower division.
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BFA Champions Cup kicks off
The much-anticipated Barbados Football Association Champions Cup is set to throw open its doors tomorrow, launching a high-stakes knockout tournament that will see reigning title holders Weymouth Wales begin their quest to defend their crown against a stacked field of competing teams across the country. The opening night of the competition features just one representative from the Premier League: Paradise, a squad based out of Dover, who will get their campaign underway against Elite in the first marquee matchup of the tournament.
Four additional matches round out the opening slate of fixtures: Caribbean United will square off against Lodge Road, Eastern United will lock horns with Glebe, and Hothersal Turning will clash with Orange Hill. The only opening-round clash hosted at Market Hill in St. George will pit two Division Two sides against one another, Central League Spartans and Police, with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m.
This tournament marks a welcome return to the Champions Cup for Central League Spartans, a side that opted out of last year’s competition to prioritize securing promotion back to Division One. In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, Spartans head coach Edwyn opened up about his squad’s preparation for the knockout clash, acknowledging the team has faced consistent headwinds throughout the current Division Two campaign. “We are not in the best form right now — we’ve had a pretty rough go of it this season,” Wood explained. “Across our six league matches so far, we’ve only notched one win, two draws and three losses, so we are far from peak performance at the moment.”
Still, Wood stressed that the coaching staff has continued working closely with the playing group to rebuild their mental sharpness and turn their season around, heading into the cup competition. The Spartans will hold home-field advantage for their opening clash against the Weymouth-based Police squad, and Wood is counting on that familiar terrain to give his side a much-needed boost.
“Home advantage is always a huge benefit, and I actually think our poor form so far this season has been heavily tied to our heavy schedule of away matches,” Wood noted. “Our home pitch is one of the few east-west oriented fields in the region, and we’ve built our style of play to take advantage of that unique layout. With so few home matches in our league schedule this season, that’s definitely contributed to our standing in the table. We’re hopeful that familiarity with the ground will carry us past Police on Thursday night.”
Beyond the opening night fixtures, the remainder of the first-round schedule has already been locked in. Last season’s tournament runners-up, Kickstart Rush, will launch their 2024 campaign against Barbados Soccer Academy this coming Sunday. Reigning champions Weymouth Wales will not step onto the pitch until next Tuesday, when they get their title defense started against WRBSSC in what is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated first-round matches of the competition.