Former national footballer, Henry “Babs” Dyer, believes the time is right for an OECS football team to be formed.
Addressing the prize giving ceremony of the Dominica Football Association (DFA) over the weekend Dyer dreams of an “OECS team to take part in Caribbean football and then have an OECS team to the World Cup.”
But he said players need to be good ambassadors and be disciplined.
“The game of football is always bigger than you,” he said. “Bear that in mind, respect authority…those who are in charge, the referee, the captain of your team and players that way we will see a better football played in Dominica, ” he said.
Meantime, president of the DFA Glen Etienne urged players to “recommit” themselves to the sport of football and to take football “back to the glory days. ”
“The DFA cannot do it alone…what the DFA can do is to create the environment for you to flourish and to display your skills and to a great extent this is being done,” Etienne said. “Football calls for commitment and motivation from within. Football calls for serious players and demands the best from all and sundry.”
The DFA boss explained that if players are not committed and motivated, no amount of playing facilities will make a difference. “The difference must be a change of mindset and a positive attitude, ” he said.
Randolph Peltier, from the Exodus Team was voted the Male Footballer of the Rear while Kacika Samuel, Female Footballer of the Rear and the Rookie Award went to Jamie Parillon.
Ronaldo may be correct! Do the he FIFA statutes provide for participation by REGIONS and GROUPING OF STATES or only by INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES? I would have thought that an attorney-at-law would have researched the applicable law BEFORE making such a recommendation to OECS member-states.
Bring more country players into the national team , create a island wide league n pick players from there to represent dominica, dominica have some many good players
Why not?
No babs no! They will only pick Bajans, Trini’s and Jamaicans
pipe dreams….
I don’t agree with Babs Dyer. At present, Dominican footballers have difficulties making the Windward Islands Team much less the OECS Team. Presently, Dominicans players are in a position to get some exposure. We see what is happening in West Indies cricket. When Babs played in Windward Popham Football Tournaments, only the Grenadians and Vincentians were considered good players. We produced great players like Clem John, Cecil
Laroque, Dasheen, Cecil Shillingford, Dewhurst, BogoRoy, Carrington to name a few yet we were not considered to be a great football country. Does Babs believe in the OECS Team insularity will do away.
There should be a West Indies football team for the World Cup just like cricket because individual islands may have a chance because we may get more out of that approach. When we compete in CONCACAF if we should compete as West Indies.
big up Jamie (B.F.C)
Fed up of all this joining for everything like Dominicans are a bunch of dependents, Usain Bolt never said let us form an OECS Olympic team, he did it alone.
No Babs you cannot have a combined team at the World Cup,remember we are separate countfies just like the Olympics.We have to go it alone.