Puerto Rico will get the help of FIFA Forward to plan for its future
Puerto Rico will get the help of FIFA Forward to plan for its future. It wasn’t that long back that the idea of Puerto Rico having a national youth team with several age divisions seemed like nothing better than a hazy goal. But, the Puerto Rican Football Association (FPF) was committed to making it occur and took advantage of the pandemic’s world economic disruption to get to business and create what would ultimately be an essential short- and medium-term strategy.
To establish the provincial boys’ U-13, U-15, and U-17 championships, the national association first applied for monetary and technical assistance from the FIFA Forward Initiative.
An improved tomorrow
Promoting talented athletes through top leagues has always been the goal. To achieve that, the FPF increased the number of professional football accessible to the island’s talented youngsters. The goal was to identify the best players among them and prepare them to compete for the senior national squad.
Thus, the Liga Juvenil Puerto Rico was founded in September last year. Nine teams participated in the U-13 league, nine in the U-15 tournament, and ten in the U-17 league, consisting of three age divisions.
In three tournaments, 633 players participated. Groups had to play 18 games, while the champions had to play up to 23. As a result, Edusoccer won the U-13 division championship on June 5, Escuela de Ftbol de Cayey Taurino won the U-15 league, and Bairoa won the U-17 competition.
Along with the athletes, the new divisions have benefited trainers and assistant coaches, who are now helping organize training exercises, touring with their clubs, and planning for games, allowing them to hone their managerial abilities in a competitive setting.
FIFA Advance Endorses Puerto Rico Youth Championships
The athletes from the three leading groups in each division went to an authorized Puerto Rico regional team game a week after the division season concluded to see where their future in sports would lead them. The day was not only an event they will never forget, but it also gave them the inspiration they needed to keep honing their abilities and pursuing their ambitions of donning the official team jersey.
According to FPF State Secretary Gabriel Ortiz, “the competitions drew to a stunning finale with the nine clubs participating in a honors event at the Concacaf Countries League match versus the British Virgin Islands on June 12.” Based on this statement, the guys got honours that day itself and also enjoyed time with its national side.