Hundreds flock to beach futbol

By KWESI MUGISA, Staff Reporter

THE SECOND SEASON of Red Stripe Beach Futbol got off to a flying start at the Hellshire beach yesterday as hundreds crowded around the sand to watch some of the island's top teams in action.

The spectators were treated to some very exciting games' the best of them being a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win for Portmore United over Rivoli after a very closely contested 2-2 game at the end of regulation.

"The turn out is definitely better than the start of the tournament last year and we expect that it will even improve once more people hear about how entertaining the tournament is." said Gareth Geddes brand manager of major sponsor Red Stripe Light.

Apart from a slight delay at start due to the late arrival of two of the participating teams, the day's events went by smoothly and the games for the most part were played with a spirit of goodwill. There was in fact only two cards issued for the entire days play.

"Beach f?tbol is a game that for the most part emphasises sportsmanship and I am very pleased with the way the players went out and conducted themselves today." Geddes added.

Significant growth

The tournament has seen significant growth since its inaugural season not only in terms of fan support and teams participating but also in terms of sponsorship. In addition to the major sponsor Infinity Tours, Locker Room and first time sponsors Wata have all come on board to support what seems to be a sport that is growing in popularity.

The competition will see action continuing next week when round two of the tournament gets under way. This year's invited international teams Argentina, who are the defending champions and new comers U.S.A will enter the competition at the semi-final stage.