“This is for the community. This is about showing a positive alternate side to La Horquetta that is football.”
Aaron Greene, assistant coach at Eastern Football Association’s (EFA) recently crowned champion, La Horquetta Sporting Academy, was justifiably bursting with pride after his team successfully captured the league and FA Cup double recently.
“La Horquetta’s greatest positive is football,” said Greene following the club’s 1-0 victory over Tunapuna Titans in the EFA FA Cup final, at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, on Saturday. The slight difference between the two teams in the Cup final was a 36th minute strike from Taje Commissiong, but in league competition not one team came close to challenging La Horquetta for the title.
Most impressively, La Horquetta FA captured the double just two years after gaining promotion to the EFA’s top division, and one year after finishing runner-up in the league competition to Malabar FC. And all this with very limited resources, according to head coach Jude John and Greene, his assistant.
The next step for La Horquetta SA is to challenge for promotion into the country’s second tier football league, the National Super League (NSL). The EFA league win saw it secure a spot in the Champion of Champions NSL qualifying competition where it is set to battle against five other zones for the three available spots for next season. There are certainly difficult tasks ahead, not only in qualifying for the NSL, but also remaining in the competition—which has seen its standard improve significantly, particularly over the past season.
Yet, even with limited funding and other resources, “the sky is the limit,” insisted Greene, who said his team will not be intimidated by the other NSL hopefuls. So, what motivated the team to success in both major competitions, the assistant coach was asked. “It was the pride of the players and the supporters from the community have been the team’s driving force. At home or on the road, we had our supporters come out.”
Also explaining the team’s route to success was John, the head coach. “All the players are from the La Horquetta area and that, I feel, was the motivational factor,” said John, who also credited team manager Errol Jointe, secretary Brendan George, director Falon Thomas and Greene, “to name a few” for the team’s successes thus far. He also praised the two Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) workers who kept the Phase Two Recreation Ground, its recently upgraded home turf, in top condition.
John said the team has and will continue to have a positive impact on the often stigmatised community.
“It has brought great togetherness among the youth in the area, and by extention where crime is concerned. I trust it will (continue to motivate the community), because sport brings pride and self respect.”
He added, “Support for community sport is very tough. You can only hope (for greater support). We had no sponsor. We had help from one or two people from the area.”
If promotion to the NSL is the target, how will it keep up with teams which are in a more comfortable position financially in the second tier?
“Well, we already have (sent) letters out to people who say that they would help us in our venture, and we will do some fund-raisers,” John responded.
Meanwhile, Greene acknowledged that fund raisers will not suffice, but he hopes that some of the potential corporate sponsors which he previously approached for assistance will see that his team is serious, and plays for the pride of the community.
“We know people can feel comfortable coming to watch us play, because there is no place for crime in our football. And, the results speak for the team,” said Greene.
John added, “My vision now really is for more young people to get involved in sport as that might keep them away from crime and violence. As for the academy, the sky is the limit once we as leaders keep our feet on the ground.”
La Horquetta SA has long secured the league title, but remains with one match to play, next month. It currently stands on 47 points, with the second-placed team WASA FC on 35, also with one match remaining. The league and FA Cup champion will also have the opportunity to capture one other EFA title next year, the President’s Cup, before it goes into the Champion of Champions tournament.