IN?A?NEW move by the Barbados Football Association (BFA), the last 32 teams in this year’s KFC?Champions Cup will all get an opportunity to play at the Wildey AstroTurf.
BFA president Randy Harris told MIDWEEK SPORT that there will be a special KFC?Knockout Week from April 8 to 14 when those 16 matches will be played on the artificial turf at football’s newest venue, which is gradually becoming a hit with fans.
“We want to put a lot of excitement in the KFC?Champions Cup and we have rebranded the whole competition this year,” Harris said, noting the sponsors have increased the prize money with the champions now receiving $20 000, up from $12 000.
Harris said the details and fixtures for the Knockout Week will soon be finalized but noted there would be double headers from Monday to Friday with triple headers on the Saturday and Sunday to round off the week.
“Most of the teams would not otherwise get a chance to play at the Wildey AstroTurf which they have been hearing a lot about, so the BFA?would now try to organize from the second round, a week of the KFC?Champions Cup where we would play matches throughout the week at the ‘Turf’ and then climax with a grand evening on the Sunday with three of the most interesting match-ups,” Harris said.
“This would give those lower division teams to experience what it is like to play on a flat, even surface as some games had to be postponed because of the dry conditions of their home grounds,” Harris added.
He revealed that while the Premier League would be suspended for that week, the match schedule would be arranged in such a way that the lower division teams would not have to play matches on consecutive days.
Second round
The second round match-ups already confirmed are:
Paradise vs Kick Start;
Exactly vs Roam;
Brittons Hill vs Empire;
Porey Spring vs Cosmos;
Dayrells vs Ellerton;
Haynesville vs Caribbean United;
Checker Hall vs King’s Park;
Sargeants vs Lodge Road;
Notre Dame vs Fairy Valley;
Potential Ballers vs Parish Land;
Shawn Hope United vs Rendezvous;
Silver Sands vs BDF.
Maxwell will play either Decons or Belfield, while Wales will oppose L&R United or Ivy Rovers;
Black Spurs will face Eden Stars or Crompton;
Villa United will meet either Beverley Hills or Gall Hill.
