Football fans being urged to fill Arnos Vale for matches under the lights

Local Football fans are being called on to give their full support to the historic hosting of international Football matches on October 10 and 13, 2024, at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

As it stands, the venue will, for the first time, feature double headers on both days, as the October window of Group A in the Concacaf Nations League will be convened.

More so, Vincentians are urged to turn out in their numbers to rally behind the country’s flagship team- Vincy Heat, as they take on El Salvador both days, under lights.

That call for national support came from speakers at a media conference held at the La Vue Boutique and Hotel, on the night of Thursday, September 19, 2024.

Among them was acting General Secretary of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF), Peter Edward, who revealed their goals and targets, relative to the attendance at the matches.

“It is affordable, so I expect to see the whole of St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex…I think the capacity is 11 000, and our goal is to have no less than 9,000,” Edward projected.

In doing so, Edward disclosed that the SVGFF will liaison with private mini bus operators to ensure that people get to and from the match venue.

He also said that they are looking into having one of the ferries from Bequia readjust its schedule to accommodate people from that island who want to attend the matches. Detailing some of the anticipated experiences for patrons, Edward added: “The double decker will have all the elements that the double decker is famous for… For the party stand , we will make a grand announcement because that one will be grand and when that announcement is made, you will understand why we do it that way… It will be a real party stand with all the artistes that you can think of and all the entertainment that you deserve in a party stand”.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of a bumper crowd, the Local Organising Committee will be adopting similar measures used when the venue hosted matches in the 2024 ICC Men’s T/20 World Cup in June.

Chair of the LOC, Nelson Hillocks, outlined that, “The parking will be the same as in the ICC World Cup… All parking will be on the Tarmac (decommissioned ET Joshua Airport), … The entrance will be from the Tarmac- the same security plan we are using”.

The Arnos Vale Playing Field underwent several major upgrades, inclusive of the installation of six banks of lights, ahead of the ICC World Cup matches, as St Vincent and the Grenadines was the venue for five matches in the tournament.

As the days draw closer, according to the fixtures released by Concacaf, Bonaire will meet Montserrat on both days at 3:00 p.m, while St Vincent and the Grenadines will oppose El Salvador, from 8:00 p.m, on Thursday, October 10, and Sunday, October 13.

At position 174 on FIFA’s latest rankings, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Vincy Heat sits in second position in the group, with 80th ranked El Salvador leading the standings, following the September window.

St Vincent and the Grenadines has four points, gained from a 1-1 draw with Bonaire, and a 2-0 win over Montserrat when these matches were played in Bonaire on September 5 and 8, respectively.

El Salvador is perfect from their two matches, sitting on a maximum six points, as they defeated Monserrat 4-1 and Bonaire, 2-0. Bonaire has one point, while Montserrat is pointless.