PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten– Sint Maarten’s recovery from last year’s Hurricane Irma has taken another step forward thanks to the hard work of the Sint Maarten Football Federation (SMFF), Concacaf and other donors.
On Thursday the SMFF opened “Emilio’s Sports Corner”, a mini-football pitch designed to revive football on the island following the damage sustain to the island’s football facilities during Hurricane Irma last year.
The opening of Emilio’s Sports Corner was made possible by the hard work of the SMFF, Concacaf, the UEFA Hurricane Relief Program, the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), the Royal Belgium Football Association (KBVB) and the World Coaches’ Association.
An assortment of officials and football legends were on hand to attend, including SMFF President Sudesh Singh, ministers, Concacaf and UEFA officers, former player and current Concacaf Football Development Director Jason Roberts and former Netherlands international Johan Neeskens.
Among the initiatives in place to advance football on the Sint Maarten is a four-month World Coaches’ Course available to the local community. The 17 World Coaches in attendance received their Concacaf D coaching licenses, while the top six coaches also earned their Concacaf C coaching licenses.
The night was then capped by a ribbon cutting and a friendly match involving Sint Maarten’s Under-14 national team.
