分类： sports

Ahead of the tournament’s official opening kickoff this weekend, the third iteration of the Caribbean Challenge Series youth football tournament was formally launched Thursday at the Saint Lucia Football Association headquarters in Saint Lucia. Hosted across two venues in the coastal town of Gros Islet — the Corinth Playing Field and Francis Baba Lastic Grounds — the 10-day competition will run from August 8 to 17, bringing young talent from across the Caribbean together under the unifying, purpose-driven theme “Kick Out Crime and Violence”.

Eighteen youth squads hailing from 12 different clubs will compete across three age-based divisions, marking another milestone for the regional youth football initiative. Unlike most tournaments focused solely on on-pitch results, this series was built from the ground up to combine athletic competition with community impact: its core mission is to gather emerging young athletes from across the Caribbean region to grow their skills, build cross-island connections, and lead a grassroots push for peace across island communities.

In a notable departure from initial turnout expectations, only one international team will compete in this year’s edition: Barbados’ National Sports Council Under-14 squad. Gros Islet Football League President Shayne Paul openly shared his disappointment that the tournament did not attract a larger pool of regional participants this cycle. He explained that a confluence of regional events created steep travel barriers for many teams, noting that the tournament falls during peak summer travel season, overlapping with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket season, and comes just after major regional cultural events including Carnival and Jazz festivals that draw crowds and disrupt travel planning across the islands.

Despite the lower-than-expected international turnout, Paul emphasized that the event organizers remain deeply grateful for the commitment of the Barbadian delegation, noting that the National Sports Council took out a formal loan just to cover travel costs and get their young players to Saint Lucia to compete.

The official launch event was well attended by key stakeholders, including club leaders, participating coaches and players, and representatives from the tournament’s two major sponsors: 1st National Bank and the National Lotteries Authority (NLA). Paul opened the event by urging all coaches, players, and supporting family members to uphold strict standards of discipline throughout the tournament, aligning with the competition’s mission to build community through sport.

Paul stressed that the Caribbean Challenge Series approaches youth crime prevention through a community-centered, non-punitive framework. “We aren’t fighting crime with search warrants, roadblocks and force here. We’re opening an avenue, going the softer side, giving these kids a real path,” he explained, adding that the tournament is designed to create a safe, inclusive space for young people to build skills and connect with positive opportunities, rather than turning to lives of crime and violence.

Iva Satney, General Manager of the National Lotteries Authority, echoed these remarks in her address on behalf of the tournament’s sponsor, reaffirming the NLA’s commitment to using sport as a vehicle for holistic youth development across Saint Lucia. “At the NLA, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to dream, to grow, and to succeed,” Satney said. “Sport teaches discipline, respect, teamwork, resilience, and hope. Every child who steps onto a football field instead of the streets is a victory for our nation and our region. To every player participating: know that this tournament is about more than the scoreline. It’s about character.”

Organizers also noted a promising sign of the tournament’s growing impact: a large share of this year’s participants are returning competitors who took part in the 2025 series, creating continuity that allows coaches to track long-term player development and lift the overall competitive quality of the event. Looking ahead, tournament officials have shared ambitious expansion plans. If the 2026 edition meets its core goals for participation, community impact, and organizational success, the Caribbean Challenge Series will adopt a rotating host model starting in 2027, moving the tournament to a different Caribbean island to deepen regional football integration and expand the initiative’s peace-building reach across the region.

As thousands of Caribbean children prepare to return to their classrooms for a new academic year, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is launching a multi-stop community outreach program that blends cricket, mentorship, and practical support to empower young people across the region. Over the coming weeks, the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG) in Saint Lucia will serve as a key hub for the league’s signature Republic Bank SchoolYard initiative, which brings professional cricketers face-to-face with more than 50 participating local students.

The first round of in-person activities kicks off on August 17, with simultaneous events running at two major cricket venues: DSCG and Jamaica’s iconic Sabina Park. At these kickoff gatherings, participating students will join franchise CPL players for a day of energetic, interactive games designed to build connection and teamwork. After the activities wrap up, every child will receive a full set of school supplies to support their studies throughout the upcoming year.

Following the opening events in Saint Lucia and Jamaica, the initiative will travel onward to two more Caribbean nations: Guyana and Barbados, where it will shift to a ‘Take a Player to School’ campaign format. During this phase of the program, professional cricketers will make on-site visits to local schools across both territories, allowing them to engage directly with student bodies in everyday learning environments. Beyond casual meet-and-greets, players will share personal accounts of their own journeys, from sitting in Caribbean classrooms as aspiring young athletes to building successful careers as international professional cricketers.

Christine Charles, Chief Marketing Officer for CPL, explained that the off-field initiative is designed to highlight the transformative power of cricket beyond international competition. “CPL SchoolYard is about more than cricket. It’s about showing young people across the Caribbean that the players they cheer for started out exactly where they are now, in a classroom, with a dream,” Charles said.

She added that the league takes particular pride in both the practical and inspirational impact of the program: “We’re proud to help send children back to school with everything they need, and even prouder to watch our players give their time to inspire the next generation.”

Across every corner of global sport, few bonds carry as much lasting weight as the connection between an athlete and the coach that guides them. For Bryan Calixte, former head coach of Saint Lucia’s inaugural men’s Under-15 cricket squad, that bond with his late captain Sharm Pierre remains one of the most meaningful chapters of his decades-long involvement with the game. Pierre, who made history as the first skipper of Saint Lucia’s first ever Under-15 national side, passed away recently at the age of 45 following a short illness. In an emotional interview with local publication the St. Lucia Times, Calixte opened up about his memories of the trailblazing top-order batsman and the mark he left on Caribbean cricket.

“There are moments that stick with a coach forever, moments that remind you exactly why we pour so much time and energy into this incredible sport,” Calixte reflected. “For me, leading Saint Lucia’s first ever Under-15 cricket team is one of those defining experiences. And at the heart of that historic milestone was our captain, Sharm Pierre. When I heard the news of his passing at just 45, it hit hard. It brought a huge wave of sadness, but also an outpouring of all the proud memories I carry of that time and of him.”

When that first groundbreaking team came together decades ago, the squad was chasing more than just tournament success. Their mission was to cement Saint Lucia’s place as a serious competitor on the regional cricket stage, a goal that demanded far more than raw playing talent. It required a young leader capable of carrying the entire island’s hopes and expectations on their shoulders. As Calixte recalled, that leader was Sharm Pierre.

While Calixte was quick to praise Pierre’s natural skill as a player, he stressed that it was the captain’s intangible character traits and steady leadership that made him irreplaceable to that historic side.

“As a batsman, Sharm was pure class,” Calixte said. “He was an elegant, technically gifted top-order batter who played with a level of maturity that most young players his age could only dream of. Every time he walked out to the middle, his calm presence gave the entire dressing room confidence and a sense of security that we could compete with anyone.”

“But it was his captaincy that truly set him apart and carved his name into Saint Lucian cricket history forever,” Calixte added. Pierre made history not just as Saint Lucia’s first Under-15 captain, but also as the first Saint Lucian to lead the Windward Islands Under-15 squad as well. For his coach, watching Pierre lead his peers was a masterclass in quiet, effective leadership. He never relied on loud outbursts or empty boasting to command respect; instead, he was a grounded, gentle leader who led by example, earning respect naturally from everyone around him.

What makes Pierre’s leadership even more notable is the group of young talents he captained, a group that would go on to become legends of Caribbean and international cricket. During his time leading Saint Lucia’s Under-15 side, Pierre was skipper to Daren Sammy, who would go on to lead the West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles and now serves as the men’s West Indies national head coach, as well as Garey Mathurin, a former West Indies international who now leads the Saint Lucia senior national team. When Pierre captained the Windward Islands Under-15 squad, he also led Devon Smith, who went on to become a star opening batsman for the West Indies at the international level.

“Even surrounded by all these future superstars, Sharm was the anchor that held everyone together,” Calixte said. “He managed all those big personalities with incredible grace, earning the fierce loyalty of his teammates and the deep admiration of every family watching from the stands. He proved to the entire Caribbean region that Saint Lucia doesn’t just produce world-class cricketers – we produce world-class leaders.”

Closing out his tribute, Calixte offered a final, heartfelt goodbye to the captain that shaped one of the most defining moments of his coaching career: “Thank you, Sharm, for your service, your brilliant leadership, and for making me proud to be your coach. It was an absolute honor. Rest in eternal peace, Captain.”

Seventeen-year-old sprinting talent Jady Emmanuel has carved her name into Saint Lucian athletics history, becoming the first junior competitor from the small Caribbean island to earn a spot in a World Athletics official junior final. The rising star from Morne Paul, Laborie, claimed eighth place in a field of nine elite runners at the women’s 100-meter final of the 2026 World Under-20 Championships, held in Eugene, Oregon’s famed Tracktown USA.

What makes Emmanuel’s breakthrough even more remarkable is her resilience through a major setback earlier this year. In March, she suffered an injury during the preliminary rounds of Saint Lucia’s national high school championships. Instead of stepping away from competition, the teen fought her way back to full fitness, a comeback that has seen her repeatedly knock time off her personal best and reset the national Under-18 100-meter record along the way.

Her journey to the global final unfolded dramatically over 24 hours in Oregon. On Wednesday, she opened her campaign with a blistering 11.28-second run to claim victory in her qualifying heat. Just hours later, she backed up that performance with a 11.42-second finish to take second place in her semifinal, locking in her spot in Thursday’s final. With this achievement, Emmanuel joined an exclusive group: she is only the fifth Saint Lucian athlete in history to reach a global championship final at any competitive level.

In the final, held with a mild -0.1 m/s headwind, Emmanuel’s future University of Texas teammate Mia Maxwell crossed the line first to take gold in 11.14 seconds, while Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas claimed silver. Though Emmanuel’s final result did not match the top form she showed in earlier rounds, her milestone achievement stands as a testament to her rapid growth as an athlete.

Emmanuel’s historic run has also lifted her to new heights on Saint Lucia’s all-time sprint rankings. Her 11.28-second qualifying time improved on the 11.39-second run that earned her gold at last month’s OECS/ANOCES Championships. She has now jumped ahead of decorated former competitors including ex-World U20 semifinalist Mechaela Hyacinth (11.49) and former national record holders Verneta Lesporis (11.48) and Jineill Vite (11.44), placing her third on the country’s all-time women’s 100m list, behind only elite sprinters Julien Alfred and Naomi London.

She also follows in the footsteps of a small, celebrated group of Saint Lucian athletes who have reached global finals. High jump icon Levern Spencer took home Under-18 bronze in 2001 before going on to compete in both World Championships and Olympic finals. Julien Alfred, the country’s most successful sprinter, won Youth Olympic silver in 2018 before claiming Olympic gold and silver and World Championships bronze in subsequent years. High jumpers Jeanelle Scheper and Darvin Edwards have also notched global final appearances, cementing the small island nation’s outsized impact on global track and field.