BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE recent announcement by the Caribbean Association of Sports Journalists Awards (CASJA) that the Sugar Boys were nominated for the Team of the Year Award, signals that the continuous rise of the national team is not going unnoticed.
That is according to General Secretary of the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association (SKNFA), Stanley Jacobs, who explained to SKNVibes on Saturday (Nov.4) that the continued rise of the senior men’s team has heightened awareness of the local talent and the level of the sport in the country.
“It is good to see St. Kitts and Nevis being recognized regionally and internationally. And so it is quite fitting that we get nominated for these types of awards.
“It also tells you of the type of programmes that we have put in place in terms of our development; our grassroots programme, our youth programme coming all the way through to our senior programme.”
Over the last 12 months the team has significantly risen in the FIFA Rankings - they currently sit at 73rd in the world and second in the CFU Ratings - only outpaced by Trinidad and Tobago.
He noted that with the good results comes good recognition both at the regional and international levels, as a number of players have gained contracts to ply their trade globally.
“It has opened a wide array of opportunities for our young footballers to pursue professional contracts abroad. We are getting calls daily for persons who want to look at our players and we are sending more and more players overseas on trials.”
There is no time for the Sugar Boys to celebrate their nomination as they face a highly-rated Haiti team, which is seeking to qualify for the next round of the Caribbean Cup.
The Sugar Boys head into that game needing a win to qualify for the next round of the tournament.
Several days later, they will face European nation Estonia in an international friendly match, the return leg of their encounter played last year.
Winners of the various CASJA Awards will be announced on Friday (Nov. 18).
