FIFA bans Belize over government interference

(Reuters) - FIFA has suspended Belize from international soccer with immediate effect because of "severe government interference."

World soccer'0s governing body said in a statement on Friday that its emergency committee had issued the ban.

It means the return leg of Belize's World Cup qualifier against Montserrat, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed.

Belize beat Montserrat 5-2 on Wednesday in the opening game of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA had warned sanctions could be on the way after the government said they no longer recognized the Belize Football Federation (FFB) or the national team...MORE

SP Captain Shark’s Veterans win big in Honduras

The San Pedro Captain Shark’s Veterans came back from a very successful away trip where they confronted two Honduran teams. From Thursday, May 26th to Monday, May 30th, the veterans were busy playing football in Puerto Cortez. The first game was against Equipo Municipalidad de Veterano de Puerto Cortez which ended in a 1-1 tie. The second game was against Municipalidad de Juveniles de Puerto Cortez, and this time, the San Pedro Veterans won BIG with a score of 4-1!

After such a successful showing, the team came back home and will be preparing to meet the Puerto Cortez for a sure-to-be exciting rematch on the island during the first weekend of July.

The San Pedro Veterans football club would like to extend their thanks and gratitude to the following businesses that helped them on their recent visit: Pete’s Enterprises, Area Representative Mr. Manuel Heredia, Captain Shark’s, Cholo’s, and San Pedro Water Jets [for the fare special given to the players].

Captain Raul Gonzalez promises to keep everyone updated as the days draw nearer for the rematch.

Holy Cross female football team get some gear!

Kelly and David Thompson from Kennesaw, Georgia USA recently made a large donation of football uniforms to the Holy Cross School of San Pedro. These efforts were fueled by their three children; Maggie, Will and Kayla who, while visiting, had joined the local children here to play a few friendly games of soccer.

Kelly’s kids all play organized sports were excited to find something they truly had in common with the local kids here, but could not help to notice the differences too. Seeing the kids playing barefoot with no uniforms, they came up with the idea of asking the parents of Kayla’s teammates to donate their used uniforms, cleats and balls to the schools here.

The Holy Cross Anglican School Girls Soccer Team was thrilled to try out their new soccer shirts. “I feel so professional”, says Heidy in Std VI (grade 8). Heidy loves playing soccer – “It’s fun, and I’ve made new friends”.

Mr. Coba, the Sports Director at the Holy Cross School, is also very grateful for the donation. “The uniforms really help, making the girls look and feel professional and it’s so much easier for everyone to know who is on which team. Having proper shoes is important too – many of the girls play with bare feet and they often cut their feet during the games”.

Kelly and David, who own a home here in San Pedro, hope to make this the first of many donations to the schools of Belize. By approaching other teams in the YMCA, they hope to get enough donations to provide full uniforms and equipment to all the children who want to participate in the sport and help build a league here on Ambergris Caye.

Both David and Kelly firmly believe that through organized team sports, children can thrive in all areas of life. “It helps build confidence in one’s self and trust in others when you are a part of a team that has one common goal and you learn to support each other. It is also an important lesson to teach our children and remind ourselves that collectively we can make a difference in the world,” commented Kelly.

Special thanks to Joel and Sherry Sullivan for donating all of the uniforms shown.

Costa Maya Resort VS Sueño del Mar (Friendly Match)

On Sunday March 20th a friendly football game was played between Costa Maya Staff and Sueño del Mar Construction. It was a bright Sunday afternoon when staff of both groups came together to presence this first friendly game. An enthusiastic crowd was cheering for their team. After a vigorous game Sueño del Mar Construction was triumphant. Costa Maya will host more events like these to enhance relationship with our neighbors.

San Pedro RC School Mundialito

The San Pedro Roman Catholic School (SPRCS) embarked on a project to acquire and implement a new system of teaching; moving away from the chalk board, which has proven hazardous to some students in terms of allergies; to a white board system. In order for this project to become a reality, funding is needed – funding that is not readily available to the SPRCS. Teachers have found a way to raise funds: A Mundialito Tournament. Students get to play sports, while benefitting from discipline and lessons learned on the field.

One of the organizers of SPRCS Mundialito Tournament, Mr. Kenny spoke to The San Pedro Sun; “On the weekends, a lot of time our students don’t really have lots of constructive things to do. The Mundialito will serve to encourage sportsmanship, healthy habits – exercise and pretty much keep the children off the streets, while raising some funds for our white board project.”

Students from all classes are divided into four divisions. Students from Infant 1 and 2 competed in (Div 1), Standards 1 & 2 (Div 2); Std. 3 & 4 (Div 3); and Standards 5 & 6 (Div 4). Each division comprises of three to four teams competing. Each team represents a different country. Countries being represented include Belize, Brazil, Netherlands, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, countries from the Caribbean, Europe, United States, England and Norway to mention a few.

A special ceremony was held, similar to World Cup opening ceremonies, and parents, guardians and friends came out in droves to show their support for the children. Games will continue throughout the school year, so be sure to swing by and show your support as well!!

Congratulations San Mateo Bombers - 6-a-side Tournament Champions!!

The 6-a-side football team San Mateo Bombers took home the top honors this past Sunday when they became the tournament champions. Having bested out the SP Police team (2nd Place), as well as other teams like the Fire Blazers, Tropic Air, SP Strikers, Mario's Boys and Mata Chica Bombers, San Mateo took the lead and 1st place trophy.

Councilor Joseph Elijio was on hand to aid Miss San Pedro Natasha Stuart, as well as Deputy Mayor Pablo Ico in handing out the trophies to the winners. Congratulations once more, and job well done!!!

As always, big up to the referees who were on hand for all the games!

6-a-side Tournament Continues!!

San Pedro’s Saca Chispas stadium continues to be the venue for the Six-A-Side Tournament being hosted by the San Pedro Town Council and organized by Councilor Joseph Elijio.
Results are as follows:

Saturday January 29th
San Pedro Strikers (1) vs Fire Blazers (1)
San Pedro Police Department (2) vs Tropical Stars (2)

Sunday January 30th
San Mateo Warriors (1) vs Fire Blazers (0)
San Pedro Town Council (1) vs San Pedro Strikers (0)

The current standings are as follows:
San Mateo Strikers 9 Points
San Pedro Police Department 7 Points
San Pedro Town Council 7 Points
Tropical Stars 5 Points
San Pedro Strikers 5 Point
Fire Blazers 4 Points

Scheduled games for the upcoming weekend are as follows:

Saturday February 5th
San Pedro Police Department vs
San Mateo Bombers
Tropic Allstars vs San Pedro Strikers

Sunday February 6th
San Pedro Police Department vs
San Pedro Town Council

Sunday’s game will be followed by a friendly game with the San Mateo Girls taking on the San Pedro High School girls.

Lighthouse Christian Radio hosts after Christmas Football Tournament

While many visitors to San Pedro come to enjoy the sights, sun, sea and other activities that are easily accessible from the island, a group of 18 energetic volunteers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA decided to spend their Christmas vacation donating their time to a worthy cause, and the major recipients of this year’s mission were the children of San Pedro.
The mission came to life as a result of communications between Lighthouse Christian Radio and the Believers World Outreach foundation in the United States. Believers World Outreach (BWO) is a non-profit organization responsible for organizing missions and sending them to various regions. They facilitate mission trips for individuals, churches and other ministry groups that desire to reach out, sharing the love of Christ beyond their own comfort zone. (http://believersworld.com/) The “After Christmas Football Tournament Program” commenced on December 28th and stretched through December 31st. With the major success of the past year’s Summer Sport Camp Program, Mr. Welsh of Lighthouse Christian Radio, decided to keep the focus on sports, but this time only on football. The group brought with them, jerseys, sports balls, back packs, trophies, medals and other gift items to the total value of over $5000.00 BZ.
The mission saw over 36 kids between the ages of 9 and 13 competing in a four day football tournament. The tournament was divided into two divisions. The first division saw competitors between he ages of 9-11while the second division had competitors between the ages of 12 and 13. Apart from sportsmanship, the program promoted lessons in devotionals, friendship and team work; encouraging the children by offering them a chance to learn some good core values as well as compete in a sport that is close to their hearts.
In the afternoons, the same teams got a chance to enjoy various events at the Central Park including face painting and vacation bible school for some of the smaller children. At the end of the four day tournament, each team received a trophy, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place received trophies as well as medals for all members of the teams.
The program ended with a New Years Day Children’s Festival at the Central Park from 3:00pm – 6:00pm. Over 300 children were in attendance, along with their parents, and had the chance to participate in funfilled activities such as water balloon toss, sack race, cabbage toss, ring toss, face painting and there was even entertainment provided by a clown.
Lighthouse Christian Radio takes this opportunity to extend a hearty thank you to the visiting mission members from the United States, the San Pedro Town Council for providing venues, Southwind Realty and all the children and parents that participated, and made this first ever After Christmas Football program a success. With this huge success, Mr. Welsh hopes to make this event an annual one.

Samuel Figueroa competes with the Belize National U20 Selection in Honduras.

San Pedro Resident and Athlete, Samuel Figueroa has joined the ranks of the professionals as a member of the Belize National under 20 Selection Football team. According to president of the Football Federation of Belize, Dr. Chimilio, coaches have been scouting players across the country through the year.

Samuel caught the eye of a scout for the national selection in September when he was competing in an inter-district tournament in Belize City, and was drafted immediately. According to Mr. Chimilio, Mr. Figueroa exhibited much talent and lots of potential. He has since been vigorously practicing with the national selection team, in Belmopan.

The Belize National under 20 Selection; comprised of 18 players will travel to El Salvador for two games in the qualifying games, leading up to the finals to be held in Guatemala in March of 2011. The team will be in Honduras for a week, where they will square off against El Salvador’s Selection on December 1st and Honduras’ selection on December 5th; both games will be played in La Ceiba Honduras.

The San Pedro Sun congratulates Samuel Figueroa and the Belize National under 20 Selection and wish them well in the up coming games.

San Pedro FC & Belize City's Brown Bombers tie 3-3

Sunday, August 15th saw the first leg of the Under-19’s home and away championship match held at the Ambergris Stadium. The boys from home performed exceptionally throughout the match keeping the game very tight against Belize City’s Brown Bombers. At the end of the game, both teams were tie at 3-3, scoring from San Pedro were Travis Ellis – 1 goal and Edwardo Cardona – 2 goals.

San Pedro FC
Belize City’s Brown Bombers

San Pedro Seadogs fall to Platense of Honduras

On Sunday, the Ambergris Stadium came alive when Belize’s San Pedro Seadog hosted Platense of Puerto Cortez Honduras. Amidst a large multitude, both teams stepped on the field ready to claim the big W. In the first half, the Seadogs was in control of the ball game. In fact, in the first few minutes, Seadogs blasted the Platense goalkeeper with a kick from outside the 18-yards box but the referee ruled that the ball did not cross the goal line.

Early in the second half however, Seadogs managed to capitalize on a play and scored the first goal of the ball game. But the glory was short-lived after Platense capitalized from a corner kick making it a 1 to 1 ball game. Later in the second half, Platense scored a second goal originating from a foul outside the 18-yards box.

Seadogs pulled out their best play and in the last few minutes of the game, they managed to blast Platense, shaking the net for a third time, but unfortunately the referee ruled that the goal was offside. At the end of the game, Platense won over Seadogs in a 2 to 1 ball game.

Congratulations to Platense Football Club on the big win and also to the Honduran community. According to our source the last time San Pedro Town witness an international football game was in the 1980’s when a Brazilian team was invited on the island.