BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Peter’s Football Club and Dr. Terrance Drew came in for high praise from the President of the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) for the staging of the Annual Summer Community League Football Competition.
Speaking recently with SKNVibes Sports, President Anthony Johnson indicated that the body is always supportive of out of season community leagues, as he made reference to the St. Peter’s Competition.
Johnson believes that such leagues should be used as a means of exposing and harnessing new talent.
He further commended the organizers for the amount of teams competing in the tournament, noting that it is a large number for the off season.
“I am happy that the St. Peter’s Football Club and Dr. Terrance Drew have again combined to bring of this Community League. I believe the fact that 10 teams would be on show is an indication that they have worked very hard in mobilising the football fraternity in this area and beyond.”
At the launch of the Competition in St. Peter’s, President Johnson indicated to this publication that though it is being played outside of the season, and just before the start of the league, the tournament highlights that the sport discipline is one played year-round.
“It is an activity that really has no limits as far as the timeframe that it is played. We play our regular season and Final Four during the months of September to May/June. So between June and September there are a number of community leagues that take place throughout the Federation, and we encourage those leagues to be organized as much as possible.”
The President wants all those leagues to be played in “the spirit of fair play”, so as to minimize injuries and burn out of players.
He urged teams to not only play for the sake of playing, but rather to enjoy and give fans something to cheer for, adding that leagues, such the St. Peter’s Competition, bring all communities together in friendly rivalry.
“It gives the fans an outlet, it gives the vendors a place to be and it gives the residents of the community a place to be and a form of social interaction.”
The 2017/2018 SKNFA Premier League is expected to kick off in September.
