Grenada: National U-14 boys team to leave island on August 11 to play CFU in Dominican Republic

Grenada: The National U14 Boys team will leave the island on Thursday afternoon (August 11) for the Dominican Republic to participate in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) U-14 Challenge Series. 25 of 31 CFU Member Associations are competing in the tournament scheduled for August 11-22, 2022.

The Challenge Series serves as an introduction to international competition while allowing youth players to work on their overall game and deportment. It is also a developmental competition, allowing Caribbean match officials and referees the chance to learn and improve with a view to earning other appointments within the CFU, Concacaf and further.

This year there are two tiers of competition with Grenada in Tier II, group 3, along with the Cayman Islands, Martinique and Saint Lucia. Groups 1 to 3 in Tier II will play three (3) matches in the group phases, while Group 4 will play four (4) matches. The top teams will be advanced to the Cross Group Playoffs, with the top four reaching the semifinals and the last two playing for the championship.

Earlier this year, a nationwide selection process was held by the Grenada Football Association (GFA), including Carriacou, to provide all youth players with an equal opportunity to show their talent and secure a space on the team. The team started off training with over 40 players, which has now been cut to 20 for the final squad.

GFA Fitness and Performance Coach Claudio Altieri who has been working closely with the team for the past few weeks to improve players’ fitness ahead of the tournament, said, “It has been a mix of enjoyment, discipline and hard-working sessions; therefore, we are more than ready to represent Grenada at the upcoming matches. “

The team is being coached by Tyron ‘Pele’ John.