BFA looking to bolster youth soccer program

BFA looking to bolster youth soccer program

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) is sending its under-17 (u17) boys’ team to Bradenton, Florida this week to compete in the CONCACAF u17 championships qualifying round.

The team will play four matches out of Group C against Guadeloupe Aruba, Saint Martinique and Bonaire.

The team is made up by Mario Johnson, Ian Lowe, Elijah Mitchell, Dereck Ferguson, Kenaz Swain, Kyle Ferguson, Luke Lockhart, Camrawn Cox, Reon Davis, Carlysle Brown, Terrance Chisholm, Dominic Archer, Mason Lowe, Alonzo Smith, McLean Goodfellow, Michael Strachan and Daylan Russell.

Paul James will serve as the team’s head coach, Larry Minnis is the manager and the team’s physician is Dr. Laurette Isaacs-Brown.

According to BFA General Secretary Carl Lynch, the BFA this year plans to ramp up its efforts in regards to youth development.

“The BFA is increasing its role when it comes to high school or youth soccer,” he said in an interview with Eyewitness Sports. “CONCACAF, the regional body, as well as FIFA, demanded that we get more involved with youth football. We currently have some initiatives in the pipeline that we are working on, but I can’t release more on that until the time comes. However, you can expect to hear a lot from the BFA in the near future, in regards to school soccer.”

Team Bahamas kicks off the tournament on March 17 against Aruba. It plays its second game on Marc 21 against Bonaire, followed by a game on March 23 against Guadeloupe.

The Bahamas wraps up its time in Florida against Saint Martin on the 25th.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.