Youngsters FC mourn loss of manager

by Joreen Francis

The sporting community in Central Leeward was last weekend thrown into a state of shock with the news of the sudden death of sports administrator Dean Browne.

Browne, manager of the football team Youngsters FC, died on Saturday night at the Barrouallie Health Centre, reportedly of a heart attack.{{more}}

National player Oalex Anderson, who is currently playing overseas for Seattle Sounders FC, told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday that Browne is his aunt’s husband. He said when his uncle died, he was on the field playing football.

“After the game, I saw many missed calls from family members. I did not know something bad had happened. When I got the news, I could not eat or sleep, I was too busy worrying about my aunt and cousins about how they are holding up.”

Anderson, 19, disclosed that Browne was Youngsters FC’s manager when he was playing for the team a few years ago. The footballer, who returned from the United States in May to represent SVG in the under-23 national team, indicated that Browne was a good man and would be remembered by many.

Public relations officer of the Barrouallie Sports Association (BSA) Devron Poyer told SEARCHLIGHT that a moment of silence was held at the opening ceremony of the Barrouallie Football League, as a mark of respect for Browne’s passing. Also, each member of the Youngsters FC team wore a black armband at last Sunday’s ceremony.

Despite the death of their manager, Youngsters FC went out last Sunday at the opening of the Barrouallie Football League and played the feature game at Keartons playing Field.

Poyer disclosed that the Barrouallie Sports Association Committee had already decided to cancel the feature game between Youngsters FC and Predators, but it was the team who requested to let the game proceed on that day.

“Initially we were going to cancel their game so they would not play, but it was the team who requested to let the game proceed.”

The BSA’s Facebook page also paid tribute to Browne.

“BSA sends out its condolences to the family and friends of Dean, for his great contribution to the sporting community of Barrouallie as well and today we honour and celebrate his life at the opening of our 2015 football championships.”

Captain of Youngsters FC Andy Griffith on Monday evening told SEARCHLIGHT that Dean Browne has been managing the team for three years and always motivated them to be better players.

“Dean has been with us since 2012 and has put in the hard work towards us at times when we felt like giving up. He gave us the courage to press forward and strive for excellence. His motivation enabled us to strive for perfection in the game we play, football; he made us feel good about ourselves and the team looked up to him.”

Griffith added that as the captain of the team, he is saddened by Browne’s death because he was a father to the team, the person who pushed and united them.

“…Now his work has become my work and I have to take up the responsibilities of the team to make sure that things stay the same when Dean was alive.”

Griffith disclosed that the team is motivated now more than ever to win this season’s competition for Browne, because he had shown them what true champions are made of and they want to give him the best of them this season.

Although the team was not in their best form last Sunday, they came out and had a good game, in which they fought from the beginning to the end.

The game resulted in a nil-nil draw.

Browne’s funeral will be held on August 23 at Kingdom Life Ministry Church in Barrouallie.