PHILIPSBURG—An U13 football national selection departs Sunday for the Torneo Internacional Himno Y Bandera competition in Aruba, the second time a U13 selection from St. Maarten has taken part in this tournament.
The players comprise Amaru Bute, Lisandro Arrindell, Amadeus Aventurin, Jadon Gumbs, Reshawn Eustace, Jeremy Peters, Divano Job, Quincy Busby, Tomas Bouman, Robert Halman, Grant Caputo, Ajoni Rumnit, Oliver Hobgood, William Mulder, Dev Sagre, Devin Liao, Tarique Sylvester, and Andre Faucher.
Technical staff accompanying the players are Head Coach Sandro Garcia, Assistant Coaches Peter Suwijn and Edson Oehlers, Team Manager Heidi Hobgood, Physiotherapist Martijn Schaap, and Physiotherapist/Doctor, Fridtjof Bouman.
Countries participating are Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Colombia, St. Maarten and Venezuela.
The players, half of whom competed in the tournament last year, were going through their final training practice and set pieces at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex ahead of their first encounter, a game against Venezuela on the evening of Monday, March 13. The competition finishes on March 18, Aruba Day.
“We finished fifth in this tournament last year but it was more for the experience,” noted Assistant Coach Peter Suwijn. “At this age it’s more about development. We have a good feeling that we can perform better now that we have more experience as well as good preparation from playing with a team in St. Barths and from competitions here.”
The selection has been training for about three months. Suwijn added this August an U15 selection will be competing in a tournament in Orlando, Florida.
The trip to Aruba has been funded by the St. Maarten Soccer Association for the air tickets and parents are contributing to the accommodation costs. Other individual sponsors are also contributing.
Head Coach Sandro Garcia said he was anticipating a very competitive tournament.
“If we look at last year, the top teams were Colombia, Aruba and Curacao. Historically they are the top seeds. Our goal will be to improve on last year,” he added.
Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Silveria Jacobs took time out to meet and encourage the players and joined in for the practice session.
“Don’t let your nerves get to you, and hopefully you have learnt how to deal with stress and disappointments, and that regardless of whether you win or lose, it’s important to keep your composure and dignity,” Minister Jacobs told the young players. “The behaviour you display should always be respect to the other team that won. It’s not always the best team that wins but who was better on that day. To play sports you need discipline and courage. Eat well, drink a lot, and get plenty of rest. You have the opportunity to represent St. Maarten abroad so do it with great pride. I wish you all the best of luck and have a wonderful time. I’m looking forward to hearing the news on a daily basis.”
