19 May 2006 | Rugby
The next week sees a plethora of sporting exertion at the club :
Tonight ( friday 19th) sees local school Lucayan International take on Nassau's Lyford Cay in a boys under 15 soccer game at 5.30 followed by a bbq. With a number of the LIS team belonging to the club's youth soccer development programme , these players are likely to figure heavily in the club's soccer teams in the forthcoming years. So come and see what the future represents - see if those family genes of ghassan, justin and steffano have been transferred to their offspring relatives - lets hopes not !!!
Sunday sees the final round of the GBFL season with 2 gripping games. At 2pm our Freeport Jetwash host Town and Country with Jetwash trying to take the champions( T&Cs) unbeaten crown . Amazingly T&C have not been beaten in regular competition for over 5 years now. Can Jetwash beat them ?
At 4pm sees a fitting climax to the season when our youngsters Brita Red bull take on the insurance management lions in a title decider. Ready for this :
If brita win , they win the league- period
if lions win and then beat or draw against chelsea - lions win the league
if lions win but then lose to chelsea - Freeport FC win theleague
if brita and lions draw - you need a calculator !!!
Confused - you will be .
Anyhow see the action at 4pm at the club . Come and shout for our youngsters - average age of 18 as they attempt to win the league. Commmmmmmmme onnnnnn Freeport and feel the force ( cue lots of foot stopping - if you weren't there you wouldnt understand)19 May 2006 | Rugby
A sporting legend in his own life time has rejoined the team for this years Grand Bahama soccer camp.
He will lead the outstanding group of local coaches who will again be passing on their skills and supervising the training of the 200 youngsters who will be taking part.
Luther Blissett, who scored 227 goals in only 596 appearances while playing as a striker in the UKs top soccer division, impressed with his knowledge of the game and its latest coaching techniques when he helped at the camp last year.
The event – recognized as the best value summer time activity for children on the island – is again being supported by the most exciting professional soccer league in the world, the English Premier League.
Each week for nine months of the year its games are watched by around 750 million people worldwide including many tuned into Fox Soccer Channel on satellite and Cable Bahamas here in Grand Bahama.
Fox, who last year provided tents to give the children shady areas during the week, are also again going to support the event.
The kids who take part are given authentic uniforms and also get lunch, fresh fruit morning and afternoon, and the chance to cool off in the swimming pool at the clubhouse of the camp hosts, Freeport Rugby and Football Club.
The camp starts at 9am and is packed with activities until 3pm each day from July 3 to July 7.
Registration forms are available now from Animale clothing store in Port Lucaya, Esquire menswear downtown and Town and Country on Yellow Pine Street as well as from the rugby club on game days.
This will be the third time the English Premier League has sponsored the event and during that time there has been a real resurgence in the game on the island. Its profile has been raised among local children but as their skills have grown they have also enjoyed playing even more.
Luther Blissett, who was born in Jamaica, is very excited to be coming back to Freeport. I had a fantastic time last year. The people are really friendly and it was great to work with such an enthusiastic bunch of kids. I am looking forward to seeing how they have developed in the last 12 months when they have not only had a chance to hone their skills but they have also grown physically.
Also returning to help with the coaching will be Phil French, who used to work as the EPLs head of public affairs but now runs a nationwide organization for soccer supporters in the UK.
Leading Freeport youth coach Mark Hardy said: We are delighted to welcome these guys back. They have both done a great job with local kids and they make the event fun as well as skill building.
Last year a group of youngsters from Abaco joined local players for the week and this year it is likely there will be attendees from Nassau.2 May 2006 | Rugby
Over 35s soccer team travelling to Miami to compete in FA Cup
As the football (soccer ) season draws to a close, Freeport Rugby Football Club’s soccer team are battling it out on two fronts as they bid to secure two titles for the season.
The weekends thumping of Insurance Management Lions ( 4- nil thank you very much) meant that the team are still in with a realistic shout of winning the Grand Bahama Football League Men’s title.
Equally importantly, however, the over 35s (which actually accounts for 80 % of their GBFL team) have also been invited to participate in the famous ( South) Florida Annual Challenge Cup during the weekend of May 12th to 14th. Consequently a squad of 15 players travel over to Miami with the intention of bringing back this prestigious trophy for the first time.
As a result of recent games between Miami United and Freeport FC, the Grand Bahamian team were invited to play in the tri-angular tournament which also includes Fort Lauderdale (over 35s). Freeport FCs Mark Hardy explained that discussions have been ongoing for a while concerning this tournament and after it was decided that it was impractical for us to join the Florida Over 35s league on an ongoing basis , all parties have decided that the Challenge Cup is the best way for teams to compete regularly . Subsequently Freeport FC take on Miami on Saturday afternoon followed by playing Fort Lauderdale on the Sunday in what is expected to be two tough games. The two Florida teams are then scheduled to play each other the following weekend.
Manager Tony Johns was confident that the team would perform in accordance with expectations over in Florida and was hoping to take an almost full strength squad. Unfortunately age and weight restrictions appear to have ruled out talisman Jimmy Fingers which will prove to be a big blow for both the team and floridean tavern owners. Late Rooney-esque injuries to Tony Lopez appear to be unfounded with manager Johns insisting he would pick Lopez for the tournament even if his involvement was limited to the latter stages.
Johns noted that the trip would also involve a team building exercise on the Saturday morning as Grand Bahamas oldest and finest had been invited to a sitdown breakfast luncheon at which the English FA Cup final was to beamed over live by satellite , followed by a question and answer session with local footballing celebrities.30 Mar 2006 | Rugby
If you are not leaving the islands for the Easter or you are returning to the island we at the club have the ideal entertainment weekend set up for you. The FRFC is resurrecting the Easter Rugby festival and to start the annual event we will be hosting the Harvard Business School Old Boys and the Nassau Conchs to a weekend of fine rugby and festivities.
The weekend schedule for the Festival is going to be:
Friday the 14th April @4pm FRFC Oldies Vs Harvard Business School Oldies followed by a cocktail party starting at 6.30pm with substantial food for the players and finger food for supporters.
Saturday is Harvard Vs Nassau Conchs @ 3pm followed by the 40th Anniversary & Festival Banquet at the Hawksbill Yacht club for all players, club members and general hangers on starting at 7.30 (ticket prices $30 available from the club or any committee member)
Sunday is FRFC vs. Nassau Conchs @ 12 (this game will be made up of anyone left standing who is still able to play, however it may be settled on the Sat night in the bar -the surroundings we all play our best game on !30 Mar 2006 | Rugby
Enrolment for the third in the highly-successful series of English Premier League soccer camps has already begun in earnest.
Two top class professional coaches with international playing experience will again lead the local experts who will be teaching new skills and putting the kids through their paces during the week starting July 3.
Interest will be very high not just because of the previous success of the camps but this year’s event falls in the middle of the World Cup finals which will be getting blanket TV coverage round the world.
Ever since the EPL became involved there has been a resurgence in interest in the sport on the island both among youngsters and adults.
“We have seen big increases in attendances at training sessions and it has been great to see how kids’ skill levels have risen on the island over the last couple of years. This is a great trend which not only means more youngsters having a good time but it also increases their future opportunities,” said Mark Hardy, one of the organizers and a prominent youth coach on the island.
Parents have become more aware of the fact that proficiency in the sport offers a much better chance of a US college scholarship than other sports like basketball simply because fewer young US people play soccer. Colleges have to cast their recruitment nets very wide to fill quotas.
The EPL camp has proved attractive to parents because it offers five full days of activities, including swimming as well as the actual soccer, and includes lunch each day as well as fruit during mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks. All those taking part get authentic, new soccer uniforms to wear during the week. It is the best summer camp bargain on the island.
Last year a group of youngsters from Abaco attended for the first time and this year it is likely there will some attendees from Nassau.
Parents who wish their child or children to be one of the 200 participants can pick up forms from the following venues: Freeport Rugby Football Club, Animale at Port Lucaya, Esquire Menswear in Downtown and Town and Country on Yellow Pine Street.