From BVIFA.com
2005 CFU UNDER 15 TOURNAMENT
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Jul 20, 2005, 17:09
CFU Under 15 Tournament: Why? This Under 15 invitational Tournament is an initiative of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to strengthen the foundations of football development in the Caribbean. Caribbean Youth teams have been competing in the Qualifying Rounds for FIFA Under 20 and Under 17 World Championships since these tournaments began in 1977 and 1985 respectively. Indeed in 1983 Trinidad and Tobago hosted, on behalf of CONCACAF, the first ever Under 16 FIFA Qualifying Tournament to provide the CONCACAF qualifier for China 1985, the first FIFA Under 17 Championships. Having beaten Mexico on penalty kicks in the semi-finals, young Trinidad and Tobago then lost in the final to the United States. This match was also decided by penalty kicks. The United States went as CONCACAF’s sole representative to China ’85. Through the 80’s and 90’s Caribbean countries, particularly Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and then Cuba, began to show improvement in the CONCACAF qualifying rounds for Under 17 and Under 20 tournaments. Trinidad and Tobago U-20 qualified for Portugal ’91 and then Jamaica’s Under 17 team qualified for the New Zealand ’99. Trinidad and Tobago had the honour to host the FIFA World Under 17 Championships in 2001. However, Caribbean Teams did not perform well at the FIFA tournaments and have been less than competitive in the CONCACAF region over the past few years – this notwithstanding the tremendous individual talent of youngsters in the region. Research into this slippage indicated that the countries moving ahead of the Caribbean had developed squads of Under 15 and even Under 12 footballers. These youngsters were playing against their counterparts in other countries with similar programmes. Their teams moved up to the Under 17 Preliminaries and their experience carried them past our Caribbean teams, through the CONCACAF Playoffs and on to the FIFA Finals. The Preliminary competition for FIFA’s next Under 17 Finals – South Korea 2007, begins in 2006. The clear need for Caribbean countries to become more competitive spurred the organization of the Caribbean Football Union Under 15 Tournament known affectionately as the Caribbean Youth Cup 2005. Member countries were mandated to institute development and coaching programmes in order to prepare teams for this August Tournament. These programmes, now in their final stages, will be tested in Trinidad and Tobago in August, and the Caribbean region will be ready to challenge for places in the World’s Youth Tournament. This Under 15 Tournament is a requirement of the Caribbean Football Union to fulfill its mandate to develop Youth Football – with all its potential – to compete beyond the region and to ensure that Caribbean youngsters with talent are given the opportunity to excel. The Under 15 Tournament will be played every year, but will alternate between Under 15 and Under 16. Therefore the players in the 2005 Under 15 Tournament can represent their countries in 2006, as Under 16 Youths preparing to qualify for the FIFA Under 17 Championship in Canada ’07. In 2007, the tournament will revert to Under 15 bringing in the youngsters currently developing through the Under 12 age group programmes throughout the Caribbean. This inaugural Tournament may, after 2006, move to other Caribbean countries. It is set to become an Annual Youth Event which will also eventually incorporate Girls’ Football. The CFU is confident that this tournament will not only serve the development of football in the region, but will also produce better citizens and a deeper appreciation of the status of the Caribbean region and the Caribbean people.
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