Alpha United, Slingerz FC and Buxton ready to engage Jamaica’s Boys’ Town FC
BEGINNING Wednesday March 5, Guyana’s leading club Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United will join their rivals Slingerz Football Club (FC) and Buxton United, as they engage the visiting Red Stripe Jamaican Premier League club Boys’ Town FC in a series of matches, thanks to local-based International record company; Vizion Sounds.The opening game will be played at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground where Alpha United will take on Buxton United and the Jamaicans will go head-to-head against Guyana’s top emerging club Slingerz FC.
Action continues on Friday, March 7, in Buxton as the hosts square off against Boys’ Town and a must-see clash between the ‘money teams’ Alpha United and Slingerz FC.
The curtain is expected to come down on Sunday, March 9, at the GCC ground with a celebrity game featuring Jamaican Dancehall star Christopher Martin, group ‘Voice Mail’ among others, against Guyana’s media and entertainers, while Buxton and Slingerz FC meet for the first time and Alpha United get a taste of the team from the Land of Wood and Water.
“This is something that we have been working on for a long time and we’re happy to see it finally coming off. Vizion Sounds wanted to do something in football and this is a pilot project, since we want to do a similar thing in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as Jamaica,” said Vizion Sound’s Gail Vieira.
“Boys’ Town FC was chosen because of their affiliation to reggae music,” Vieira stated, when asked by the media gathered why Vizion sounds chose the struggling Premier League Club over the others to visit.
She said, “Most of the reggae artistes in Jamaica, especially the older guys, they support that team and Vizion Sound; we have a good relationship with all of them and that was the team that was suggested to us and at the time, they were doing well”.
Meanwhile, for Slingerz FC, the Club’s general manager Collin ‘BL’ Aaron and captain Vurlon Mills both stated that though the tournament is not being played for any monetary rewards their side would be going all out to make sure that they finish with an unblemished record.
“This is being taken very seriously by our club, because at the end of the day, our aim is to be the best club in the country. It’s a Goodwill tournament, but we (are) treating it just like every other competition we played and wanted to win. This is something good for football and it’s something Slingerz FC fully supports,” Aaron said.
“This would give us a chance to see where we are at in terms of our style of play since we would be coming up against a team from Jamaica who is already playing regularly. But I think for Alpha United, this is good because they are going to represent us in the CFU tournament and they, I know, will welcome playing against the Jamaicans,” Mills noted.
Alpha United will seek to once again qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, as the ‘Hammers’ prepare for the CFU 2014 championship where they are grouped with Trinidad’s Defence Force, Suriname’s Notch Football Club and Jamaica’s Premier League number one club Harbour View FC.
The GFF Premier League defending Champions begin their CFU journey on March 21 against their Trinidad opponents and as such, Alpha United will be looking to fully utilise the Goodwill series to strengthen their preparation.
However, for Buxton United, the East Coast team through its secretary Eton Moses, said that they would be looking to use the series to gain the much-needed experience as the club goes through its rebuilding phase.
“It’s not every day you get an opportunity to play against Alpha United, Slingerz FC and a team from Jamaica, so Buxton United are looking to use this as a learning experience and at the same time, go out there and give a good performance and represent the people of Buxton well,” said Moses.