CALL MR DALE the soccer junkie.
Soca artist Dale Rudder is taking his latest hit back to the “Farm”, as he and fellow former Deacons standout Ricky “Laker” Williams are set to launch the first ever Soca ’N’ Soccer 9-a-Side Masters Tournament in their hometown next month.
The two former national footballers disclosed the details of the inaugural competition during yesterday’s media launch at the Urban Development Commission’s headquarters.
“We want to blend sports and entertainment in Barbados because there really needs to be an emphasis on that,” said Rudder.
“[So] we’ve come together with the idea of the soca and the soccer. I mean, it is Crop Over and we are coming directly after the season and this will be a welcome addition to the sporting arena . . . .
“People really want quality entertainment and sports and it’s only natural for the two to go together,” added Rudder.
Open to players aged 40 and over, the country’s latest masters’ tournament is slated to run from August 7 to 21 and feature at least 20 teams fighting for a $2 000 grand prize.
But the competition’s main attraction is expected to be the entertainment offered each of the 15 nights, as the star performers during this Crop Over season are slated to perform before and after the matches.
“We want this to be seen as a social event even though it is a football tournament. It might be competitive but not to the nature of ‘we will do anything to win’,” said Williams.
“It’s just a chance for fellows that played before to get together with the youngsters and the people in the community to more or less have a party with the football.”
The teams will be split into groups of four to play in a round robin format, where the zones’ top two sides will advance to the knockout quarter-final segment.
Rudder said the tournament has attracted a lot of interest from most of Barbados’ top clubs, with two North American teams committing to appearing in next year’s tournament once things run smoothly.
“The general consensus now is that sports, on the whole, the levels are falling,” said Rudder.
“We’re really trying to bring back the level to an acceptable standard where the youngsters could look on and see this is how football is supposed to be played.
“We [also] decided to deal with the call coming from most of the players, who are interested in playing but want to see something a little different,” Rudder added.
