Diamonds Football League opens with big wishes

Fourteen teams stashed in two groups will vie for honours in the 2016 Diamonds Village Football League which opened last Sunday at the Diamond Village Playing Field.{{more}}

The teams drawn in Group A are Sparta A and Sparta B, Royal Saints, Brownstown, DESCO, Owia United and defending champions Computec Vincy Masters.

Lodged in Group B are Langley Park United, Byera Linkers, Richland Park Pride and Joy One and Two, Spring Village Youths and South Rivers United.

Other than the normal cash awards for the top three places – $2000; $1000; and $500, chief organiser of the league Keith Cupid said his group is embarking on a novelty.

“We want to give a ring to each member of the winning team… I don’t think this has ever been done here in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Cupid revealed last Sunday.

Looking to the immediate future, Cupid added, “We are hoping to get the prize money up to $5000 by the next two years.”

In its infant state of development, with the league having started in 2011, Cupid stated: “We want to make this the most competitive league… A league that will draw many footballers across the country.”

He said this against the reality that the league was faced with some administrative challenges since coming into being with different organising committees installed over the years.

Cognisant of the need to bring along those leagues which are not that well established, President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation Venold Coombs pledged that the SVGFF will supply the organizers with a quantity of balls from the 1000 they received from a donor.

Coombs also called on the players registered in the tournament to abide by the decisions of the match officials.

“Ah want you all to follow the instructions of the referees… Ah want you all to make the competition incident free … Don’t get into anything if you get a bad decision,” Coombs warned.

Joining Coombs in his plea for an incident free tournament were Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil Mc Kie and Director of Physical Education and Sports Nelson Hillocks, who also gave remarks at the opening.

Organisers have put the end of August as the completion date of the tournament, with a break set for Carnival celebrations.(RT)