WHIRLPOOL YOUTH SOCCER LEAGUE RESUMES WEDNESDAY JANUARY 9th
After a brief hiatus for Christmas and games against a US touring team, the Whirlpool Youth Soccer League starts back again on Wednesday January 9th .
All players are fresh and eager to resume competition especially after the players showed their ability, in recent games against Westminster Academy out of Fort Lauderdale , to compete well and win one out of the 2 games ( detailed match reports are to follow)
These recent games showed that the local players have the necessary skills to compete against and beat US teams and the local coaches are keen for more games against both US teams and Nassau /Abaco teams in order to further the progression of their players.
However, first of all , the players must compete in the ‘bread and butter ‘ of the local Whirlpool Youth League and perform well enough so that they are selected for the All Star team which will then play against local and international teams.
Technical Director of the Dolly Madison Youth Soccer Academy, Mark Hardy, said the plan was for his coaches to continue to monitor the players each week in the league and, based upon their performance, select players for additional coaching and games. Prior to Christmas , I sat with Coaches Michael , Leon , Scott and Kasey and we intend to identify those players who we feel are playing well enough to make up an ‘All Star ‘ Grand Bahama team and continue to work with them.. However we can only assess these players in the games they play in the local Youth league.
The Whirlpool League is almost halfway through the season with 5 games left before the payoffs commence. At present, the league is very balanced with the table as follows:
Standings after Round 4
GB Shipyard 9 points
Dynamo Smit 6 points
AC Millies 6 points
Cable Bahamas Stars 3 points
Borco Oilers 3 points
GB Shipyard look to be the team to beat however Ac Millies have a new coach in coach Michael DosSantos and may be the ‘dark horse in the pack’ .
The younger boys ( ages 8 to 13) from Dolly Madison Youth Soccer Academy also start back on the 9th and are also buoyed after a Christmas victory against the Girls’ Development Programme’s Under 14s. Coach Brad and Coach Wayne are both going into the New Year with hopes of more games for their youngsters so the boys can continue to progress. Coach Brad noted that he is pleased with the progress of his players and is looking forward for them playing more competitive matches, adding that the talent pool continues to grow on the Island and the level of soccer is improving year by year. The recent games against the older girls’ team and the US high school showed how far we have progressed. The younger players are coming through the Programme, and I was pleased to note that the majority of the players who played in the High School games started with us at a younger age and have continues to progress.
The Academy continues each and every Wednesday from 5pm at Freeport Rugby & Football Club.
For up-to-date information on the league and the rest of the Dolly Madison Youth Soccer Academy check out the newly revised website at www.rugbyfootballbahamas.com