FIFA DEVELOPMENT Officer, Daryll Warner is positive that the Caribbean has exceptional facilities for beach soccer to thrive.
Warner made these remarks when he addressed candidates at the closing ceremony of a refereeing beach soccer course in the Cayman Islands on Monday.
Warner felt that beach soccer has a great opportunity to find a permanent home in the Caribbean.
“The potential of Beach Soccer in the Caribbean region is immense, our coastlines are pristine and known worldwide. While this sport is still in its infancy, we have the ability to tap into something great. The possibilities are endless,” stated Warner.
The FIFA development officer commended the Cayman Islands for their excellent Beach Soccer facilities and praised the island’s loyal supporters for embracing the newest format of the game.
Warner added, “With coastline that features some of the world’s best beaches and a population of roughly 45,436, that includes more than 4,000 footballers according to the last FIFA count, Cayman Islands certainly has a huge potential when it comes to beach soccer.”
He reiterated the need for proper referees and coaches of beach soccer as well as teaching the rules, skills and tactics of the game.
FIFA beach soccer refereeing instructor, Raveino Massimo was satisfied with the feedback and evaluation received at the refereeing course.
Massimo revealed, “Considering that for most participants beach soccer was totally new, I was impressed by how quickly they got familiar with the beach soccer laws of the game and improved their level of refereeing during the festival.”
Head of the Cayman Islands Football Association, Jeffery Webb was also pleased with the participation at the course and saw it as a starting point for the development of beach soccer across the entire region.
“The information and knowledge shared with the experts was very useful and will help us enormously in our endeavours to raise awareness of this young and dynamic sport in the Caribbean region,” stated Webb.
The first official FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2005.