MARIGOT--Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria which hit the island of St. Martin last September 2017, the St. Martin Football League was forced to modify or even postpone certain competitions and development actions initially planned.
Nevertheless, thanks to the support of many partners and institutions, and building on its “strong values of ambition, excellence, and willingness to rally”, the President of the St. Martin Football League and its League Council are pleased to present all the actions planned for the remainder of the 2018 calendar year.
These are an integral part of a new plan to revitalise football in St. Martin and are based on three main objectives: shared expertise, participation of teams (young and old) in international competitions and tournaments of high level and promoting football in schools and among girls.
Regional Selection U14: Mario Flanders tournament, Marigot Stadium, 19 & 20 May 2018 and Caribbean Football Union Tournament, 12-16 July 2018 (Caribbean Zone); Regional Selection U15: Claude Elise Memorial Tournament, French Guiana All Saints' Holidays 2018; Regional selection U17: Friendly Tournament, Martinique (Dates to come).
Senior Selection: CONCACAF Nations League, 1st playoff match in September 2018. Promotion of school and women's football: School Football Day, Anguilla, May-June 2018 (dates to come), open to U9 & U11 categories from Anguilla, Saint-Barthélemy, St. Martin and Sint Maarten. The operation "Ladies cross the fence, Girls football", Marigot Stadium (dates to come) - Open to players of all categories, from U6 to Seniors.
Finally, the schedule of U6, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 and Senior competition matches and boards remains unchanged.
“The recruitment last February of David Baltase, new Regional Technical Advisor of the St. Martin Football League, was a strong signal of the League's desire to combine excellence and speed of execution,” the League stated in its press release. “A former assistant to Tours FC in League 2, and respectively physical trainer and assistant coach with Vanuatu and New Caledonia in 2017 at the FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups, David Baltase has the advantage above all of knowing the area for having played in three overseas territories (with the exception of Martinique).
“St. Martin Football League launched its development programme for the 2018 calendar year, starting with the organisation of a further training course for 14-15-year-olds. This course was led by Christian Gourcuff, former coach of FC Lorient (2003-2014), Stade Rennais FC (2016-2017) and former coach of the Algerian team (2014-2016).
“One of the most significant events of 2018 will be the start of next September's CONCACAF Nations League campaign for St. Martin. This new competition created by FIFA, which replaces the friendly matches, will serve as qualifying matches for the 2019 and 2021 Gold Cups, as well as the 2022 World Cup, where the (at least continental) ambition of the St. Martin Football League remains intact.
“Despite the purely competitive aspect, which is naturally one of the missions of the Football League of St. Martin it measures more than ever the role that football must play with the population and in particular the youngest players. One can only gather behind the motto of the Football League of St. Martin: "Better, Bigger, Beyond,” because young and old, after the difficult months on the island, we all feel the desire to be taken to new horizons with big dreams.”
