Central F.C. supporting breast cancer football tournament

[Tallman]

Central F.C. supporting breast cancer football tournament
Central FC Media

Players and staff from Pro League club Central F.C. will be in attendance at the V.F. Ladies’ “Give Breast Cancer the Boot - All Female Football Tournament 2012'” at UWI SPEC on Sunday. This, the second year of the tournament, features teams from across the country playing to raise awareness of breast cancer charities.

Central F.C. Managing Director, Brent Sancho said that there was never a question of the competition receiving support from his club. “Central F.C. has made a commitment to support worthwhile community projects, and we saw this as an ideal opportunity to get involved in woman’s football as well as raising awareness of the need for women to get tested early, to increase their chances of full recovery. Dealing with sensitive woman’s issues can be a difficult accomplishment in a male orientated sport, so we didn’t hesitate, especially when we saw the tournament has the backing of the Trinidad & Tobago Cancer Society .

Sancho said “Our Sharkettes promotion girls are all footballers and Central F.C. would love to enter a ladies team in next seasons WOLF league, and we will be exploring this option over the next few months.” The Sharkettes will be on display at the tournament, representing Central F.C. in the competition to be this seasons cup winners.

Central F.C. defender, Marc Leslie said “All of the lads here are 100% supportive of this initiative. Breast cancer is not only a major cause of death in women, it affects all ages, so no woman should be complacent.”

Central F.C. Assistant Coach, Kevin Jeffrey said he was delighted that his players were so supportive of the tournament. “For 8 weeks I have seen this bunch of young men work incredibly hard, not just to achieve superb fitness, but also to adapt to new coaching ideas. I’m proud of their toughness, their strength and their team spirit. But when I saw how keen they were to support a breast cancer tournament, it made me realise that these guys are real men, with heart and compassion”

Veteren midfielder, Marvin Oliver said “Some guys seem to think that breast cancer can’t affect them. But everyone of us has a mother, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, wives or girlfriends and at any moment this disease could devastate our lives. This is not a woman’s disease, they are the victims, but this is a disease that affects the human race as a whole. As a team, we are all behind this excellent initiative.”

Striker Anthony Wolfe added “The Sharkettes have been fantastic in promoting Central F.C. In fact I’m sure many supporters are more interested in them than us!! So we all feel that we need to get along to UWI SPEC on Sunday to give the girls some support and win Central F.C.s first trophy of the season.”

Operations Manager, Kevin Harrison said “Our sponsors have got involved with the tournament too, and we’re grateful to Ramsinghs Sports World for sponsoring this years trophies. We’ve had an incredible response from Central businesses, with companies like Ramsinghs Sports World and Montrose based Sew-Rite Variety Store contacting us and asking if they can help.”

Harrison said that there is a real buzz around Central about the team. “Everyone we speak to is excited that the Central Region is being represented in the Pro League. We are in discussions with some very large companies in the Point Lisas area as well as companies in Couva and Chaguanas.”

Sancho added “We had a very encouraging meeting with the Central Football Association, and both parties were pleased that our philosophies on youth football and development are very similar. I believe that the much needed rebuilding of Trinidad & Tobago football will be lead by people from Central.”

The “Give Breast Cancer the Boot - All Female Football Tournament 2012'” kicks off at 10 a.m at UWI Grounds, St Augustine on Sunday 14th October. Admission is free and there will be lots of fun to be had for the whole family. For more information go to the Give Breast Cancer the Boot - All Female Football Tournament 2012 facebook page.

[Football supporter]

I hope some of the locals from sw.net gonna pass by this today? These girls have worked really hard on this, so please give them support!!

[Tallman]

Central F.C. give high praise for cancer tournament
Central FC Media

Despite torrential rain for much of the afternoon, the VF Ladies “Let’s Give Breast Cancer The Boot” all female football tournament was a great success according to the players and staff of TT Pro League club, Central F.C.

The tournament, in its second year, is designed to promote awareness of breast cancer and the methods of early detection as well as be a showcase for women’s football. Organised by the VF Ladies football team, with the support of the T&T cancer society, this year’s event boasted 10 teams including Defence Force, UWI, Trinity Nationals, St Marys Central United, Central F.C.’s Sharkettes and a T&T Cancer Society representative team.

Central F.C.’s Head Coach, Graham Rix said he was pleasantly surprised by the standard of football on display. “Despite the appalling conditions, there was some lovely football.” Said the former Arsenal & England midfielder. “I didn’t realise that there were T&T Internationals competing, so the standard was much higher than I expected. And I must say, some of the tackles out there were full blooded. Those girls were playing to win!”

Event organisers, Nariya Baksh and Christine Rose were delighted by the response of sponsors. “We were fortunate that people had heard about last year’s tournament and were very keen to come on board” said Baksh. “We had a great response from companies like DIRECTV, Bluewaters, Tiger Tanks, Ditch Clothing, Ramsinghs Sports World, Red Bull, Bare Fruit and NLCB.”

Rose added “It was also great to receive the support of Central F.C., especially as their players and staff volunteered to officiate the games. Although in many cases I feel the players have no right to question referees decisions in the future after some of their decisions today, it was a real buzz to have professional footballers refereeing our games”

Central F.C. Managing Director, who also founded VF International from which VF Ladies evolved, said his club are keen to support not just women’s football, but women’s issues in general.”As a male orientated sport, it is important that we recognise that 50% of our supporter base is female. Therefore we have an obligation to support women both on the sports field and in everyday issues.”

Sancho added that Central F.C. are exploring the possibilities of entering a team into next seasons WOLF league. “We entered a Sharkette team here today and some of the girls from VF Ladies are keen to be part of a competitive team. We will look at this over the next few months and make a decision.”

For the players and staff of Central F.C., the tournament was a welcome distraction from their forthcoming Pro League debut against Police F.C. at Manny Ramjohn Stadium on Friday 19th October. The team’s trainer, Lindsay Davis said the players are keen to get their league season started with a win. “The boys have trained incredibly hard over the last 8 weeks and their fitness levels are superb. Morale is great and confidence is high amongst the squad, so we’re looking forward to Friday’s game.”

Team Manager, Norris Ferguson said “It’s been great for the lads to relax here today and I am very proud that they chose to give up their free time to support this event, which is very important to raise awareness of breast cancer.”

Ferguson added that everyone at the club has been impressed by the support they are receiving in Central. We have businesses contacting us to offer help and we are hoping that we can fill Manny Ramjohn Stadium on Friday.”

The eventual winners of the “Lets Give Breast Cancer The Boot” tournament was the team from Malick City, who defeated VF Ladies in the final.