NASSAU, The Bahamas – This weekend the hottest beach soccer tournament will take place at the National Beach Soccer Stadium and event organizers are planning an action packed three days. In a recent press conference the BFA shared event details.
National Women’s Beach Soccer Head Coach Daria Addderley is elated for the Women’s team to showcase their talents on the sand. “This is the first actual international tournament here in The Bahamas. We are very excited for the tournament and to actually have the country see us perform. Currently, we are ranked 18th in the region and the only Caribbean country ranked in the tournament. We know the competition will be fierce but we are ready to win and truly appreciate the support in the stands this weekend,” she explained.
BFA Vice President, Chairman of Beach Soccer Committee, Head Coach Men’s Team and former National player Gavin Christie, reflects on the two year hiatus due to the global pandemic and grateful to see the sport reemerge on Bahamian sand.
“Beach soccer is back in The Bahamas and on our shores and we are so excited. The team has been training hard and have been looking for opportunities to play the last two years during the pandemic. We haven’t played here at this level since the World Cup and as you can imagine we are ready to compete. The team has been training day in and day out and we are at the fine tuning stage now,”he explained.
BFA General Secretary and event moderator Fred Lunn expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Honourable Mario K. Bowleg for his continued support of the Bahamas Football Association and beach soccer in the country. The Minister lauded the BFA for organizing this world class event and how sports tourism thrives because of events like beach soccer.
“We should all support our national teams and their return to the competition The Bahamas. We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and this sport not only showcases our stunning nature and athletic expertise but acts as a catalyst for the sport to grow throughout the Family Islands. Not only do we have one of the best beach soccer stadiums in the region as a result, we anticipate that more regional and international beach related events will return to our shores,” Minister Bowleg shared.
Coporate support is key to the success of events of this magnitude, and Conch Shell Title Sponsor ALIV and Sand Dollar Silver sponsor Bamboo Shack along with several others are supporting soccer in a big way. CEO of ALIV John Gomez, believes it is their duty to support Bahamian athletes.
“We are proud to offer our in-kind sponsorship by way of Wi-Fi so that persons who are here attending the event can be able to share their experiences live with their friends and family members who are not here with them at the time so all those wonderful plays and all the excitement happening here. We are excited see our Women and Men’s team participate and ALIV proudly supports organizations like the BFA as we are committed to investing in the community,” said Gomez.
Additional sponsors for the BFA’s 2022 ALIV Beach Soccer Cup include Simplified Lending, Atlantis, Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits, Tito’s & Insurance Management.
