The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Similar to the IAAF World Relays where the Bahamas got to put on a display for the fans in winning the mixed gender relay two weeks ago at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Team Bahamas will get another chance to delight the local crowd at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017.

Although they got eliminated with a 1-2 win-loss record during the Group matches, Team Bahamas was awarded a chance to play in a friendly match against a FIFA Beach Soccer All-Stars team from the various countries.

The match is scheduled for 6pm Saturday in the newly constructed beach soccer stadium at Malcolm Park just after the two semi-final matches, minus defending champions Portugal, are played at 3pm and 4:30pm.

While the Bahamas welcomed the news, it was not quite the same for Portugal after they got dethroned by Brazil 4-3 in their quarter-final match yesterday as the tournament resumed following a day off on Wednesday.

“Any chance to touch the sand in our stadium in front of the home crowd and also playing against other beach soccer players at a high level is a joy,” said Mark Daniels. “We have another crack at it, another chance to bring one home for the Bahamas.”

Daniels likened their match to when the gladiators took to the stadium in the past for their showdown in the stadium and they heard the roar of the crowd.

“It’s similar to that,” he said. “It takes a lot to prepare to play these types of matches, the physical level and the mental level and then to go on the sand and you have to be just as prepared.

“But to hear the cheer from your home crowd, it literally shakes you. There’s no better feeling than that. It gets addictive, so I want to encourage our Bahamian fans to come on out and cheer us on.”

Team Bahamas, according to Daniels, has gotten better with each game after losing 3-2 in their opener to Switzerland on day one last Thursday, April 27 and 10-1 to Senegal on Saturday, April 29 before knocking off Ecuador 4-1 on Monday, May 1.

“We like our wombs, we got a win in our last match, so we feel very confident so on Saturday, look for us to try and do it again,” said Daniels, who is nursing a fractured big right toe, while another player has a dislocated shoulder from the nature of the game.

“We just have to toughen it up and play through the pain.”

Another team member Jean Francois said it’s a great opportunity for them to play so that they can bring out the fans, not only to match them play, but the high level of competition in the semifinal.

“Having the fans behind us has helped us out a lot, having them behind us cheering for us,” he insisted. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity and we hope they won’t miss it.”

Despite getting eliminated from the tournament, Francois said this is an opportunity for the team to show their appreciation to the fans for supporting them in the three games they played.

“Everybody is good. Everybody is ready,” he insisted. “We have training tomorrow at 6:30 at Arawak Cay and then we will take it from there so that we can put on a great show,” he projected.

As the tournament start to wind down with the teams on a break today before the final four play the semifinal on Saturday and the final is played on Sunday, Jeff Beckles, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee said they are pleased with what has transpired so far.

“It’s been a great learning experience having a different sport on the world stage,” he said. “I think the LOC has learned a lot and we are looking to doing some things with CONCACAF and FIFA.

“I think this last two weeks has caused us to be better positioned with CONCACAF as the regional site for qualifiers and other tournaments like the Kalik Cup and the Heineken Cup.”

Next year, the qualifying stages begin for the 2019 World Cup Beach Soccer and Beckles said the Bahamas is in a fantastic position to be the host of the qualifier for CONCACAF again.

“If I had one wish, I would have love to have seen more fans from the Bahamas,” said Beckles, who indicated that he hope they will show up in large numbers on Saturday when Team Bahamas play an All-Star team.

“When we do a world event, we are not only graded or evaluated on how well the event goes, but on how well the host city the global event. So if the Bahamas truly wants to be a global host, then the community plays a huge part by supporting the event.”

For a new stadium, Beckles said they have gotten some fantastic reviews from the visiting players, fans and FIFA and CONCACAF executives and he commended the LOC, the Bahamas Football Association and their partners, BTC, Coca-Cola, Kalik, Bahamas Waste, who stepped up to the plate.

“I think we’ve done a great thing in the face of everything that is going on,” said Beckles, who has been busy as a bee, moving from one event to the next. “In the face of all of that, pour team has been able to remain focus.”

And Nick Dean, whose company Integrated Building Services developed the structure and said he’s been just as impressed by everyone on the magnificent view of the new stadium.

“It’s been a labor of love for us and so I’m really pleased to the development of the stadium,” he said. “We were here when it was just dirt and concrete, but it’s now something that is fantastic.

“Just looking at the lights, the seats and the stadium itself, it’s a far cry from what it was when we got started.”

Dean said it’s a world-class facility that has attracted people from al around the world and as a local business, they hope that the beach soccer fever can be spread throughout the islands as a result of hosting the event.