BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOOTBALL’S unique ability to unite the world was on display at the Gardens Sporting Complex Thursday (Apr. 8) afternoon when UDC Garden Hotspurs played host to the Ukraine’s Juventus-Delphin team.
The east European team was visiting the Federation on a cruise vessel that day and a last minute negotiation with the team allowed them to disembark the ship and engage in the friendly match with Hotspurs, one of the Digicel Premier League’s top teams.
“They got in contact with our coach, who works in tourism. He met with them on the ship and they organized the football match. This is something that they do regularly,” President of the Hotspurs Football Club David Debeson told SKNVibes.
The match was highly competitive, but played in very good spirits in the late afternoon. The young Juventus-Delphin squad, which is a member of Ukraine’s football league, was ultimately the victor off a pair of first half goals.
Debeson said that the opportunity was relished by both teams and it was hoped that the experience could be repeated in the near future.
“I spoke to the manager of [Juventus-Delphin] and he said he was thankful for the opportunity to keep in shape because they are on the ship all the time and don’t get that kind of exercise where they can really run around.
“The guys from Hotspurs said that they were excited about the chance to play a team as big as that. They were humbled by the experience. They played extremely well considering that Juventes-Delphin is a much younger team,” the President noted.
Hotspurs played cohesively in the second half of the game and prevented any further goals, leaving the final score at 2-0 in favour of Juventus-Delphin.
Apart from showing hospitality through sports tourism, Debeson said that Hotspurs learned some new techniques on the pitch that they plan to put into full use for tonight’s (Apr. 10) big matchup against 888 Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College at Warner Park.
“I think it gives [the players] some confidence because we have a big game coming up this weekend. The guys said they saw some things that they wanted to take away from the game and put into their own play in the Premier League.”
Debeson also took time to thank the team sponsor, the St. Kitts Urban Development Corporation, for their continued support. He noted that Hotspurs has been continually encouraged by their sponsor to engage in international matches of this nature, as football teams often arrive on the Federation’s shores via cruise ships.
