Bermuda FA president, Mark Wade (second right) share a photo opportunity with (from left), JFF President Michael Ricketts, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani, St Lucia FA President Lyndon Cooper, and JFF general secretary Dennis Chung recently.
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Bermuda Football Association (BFA) president Mark Wade boasts an admiration for Jamaica’s achievements, especially their historic performances and advancement in international football, that is not only personal but rooted in a hope for Bermuda to achieve similar success.
Simply put, Wade is on a clear mission to elevate Bermuda’s football programmes to the heights reached by nations like Jamaica on the global stage.
With only an historic 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup appearance under their belts, Wade believes emulating Jamaica’s success as the Caribbean’s number one team across both genders is not far-fetched, provided his island—with a population of just over 63,000—takes the necessary steps to ensure the continued improvements of their men’s and women’s programmes.
The success of Jamaica’s men’s programme across the region and internationally includes Gold Cup runner-up finishes, Copa America appearances, and the famous 1998 World Cup appearance. These are complemented by Under-17 World Cup appearances in 1999 and 2011, as well as an Under-20 World Cup appearance in 2001.
Meanwhile, the women’s programme has achieved back-to-back World Cup appearances, including a knockout stage run at last year’s edition, as well as runner-up finishes in the Concacaf Women’s Championships.
“Bermuda is very small. We only have 63,000 people, so being able to have relationships with bigger countries like Jamaica and countries who've had good performances on the international stage into a World Cup in three different age groups, we want to do the same thing. And having these types of relationships and being able to hear the different discussions that have gone on with the minister of sport [Olivia Grange] and so on and so forth, can only bode well for us, and I can take some information back to Bermuda,” Wade told SportsMax.Tv during a recent visit to Jamaica with Concacaf President Victor Montagliani.
As Wade discussed his vision, he pointed out Jamaica’s recent initiatives, such as their athlete insurance programme, which provides crucial coverage for players’ health and wellbeing. For Wade, such a programme could be transformative for Bermuda, where athletes have traditionally faced limited insurance options.
“So here in Jamaica you had a programme where three-year-olds were playing football. So we've done that in Bermuda as well. But one of the things that we found that was interesting in our discussion was that Jamaica has an insurance programme for athletes, and that's something; maybe I'll go back and press our sports minister to kind of put it into place because that's very important for our athletes,” Wade shared.
Beyond financial stability, Wade expressed his excitement for the future of Bermuda’s men’s and women’s programmes, as he pointed out that the last few years have been filled with incremental progress.
In fact, Wade sees this as a pivotal moment to capitalize on that momentum, especially with a strategic plan in place that they are currently working towards fulfilling with the necessary backing.
“I think our prospects are really good. Our women, and I think this might be a really controversial thing to say, but our women are doing a lot better than our men in terms of their performances on the international stage. So we're trying to close that gap a little bit. We had a team that did very well in the Under-14 Challenge series, so we're hoping to kind of build on that. Our goal, as stated in our strategic plan, is for Bermuda to make it to a World Cup final in any gender and any age group,” Wade, who has been at the helm for the past eight years, stated.
“That is our strategic goal, and that's what we're working towards. In Bermuda, our biggest supporter is FIFA and closely followed by our government and then Concacaf, so we're able to kind of manage those funds, primarily because most of our staff are volunteers, so we have been able to efficiently use the money that we do get to get things done,” he ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Glenmuir High blank Ocho Rios High 3-0 to extend rich form; Munro edge champions Clarendon College 2-1
Glenmuir High School continues to assert their class in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup as they blanked Ocho Rios High 3-0 in a commanding performance in May Pen on Wednesday.
The victory, featuring goals from Orane Watson (18th), Nyron Allen (79th), and Nuemonie Blackwood (86th), extended Glenmuir’s impressive run in the competition. They sit comfortably atop the zone on six points, three points ahead of Ocho Rios and Dinthill Technical, while Happy Grove remains pointless, heading into Saturday’s final round of games.
Coach Andrew Peart praised his team’s discipline as they reinforced their status as serious contenders in this year’s daCosta Cup.
“It was a very controlled performance, much credit to our team. Credit also goes to Ocho Rios for not allowing a lot of space; you make it through the midfield lines, but they manage to collapse, and the defenders manage to protect the center of the field pretty well. In games like these, it is always good to find ways to score, and we did that by shooting from outside the box. So it was basically us being patient and waiting for the right moments,” Peart said in a post-game interview.
From the opening whistle, Glenmuir displayed confidence and cohesion, controlling the tempo of the game with crisp passes and quick transitions against a disciplined Ocho Rios defence. They went close in the fourth minute when Brandon Wallace got on target, but his effort was blocked on the line.
Ocho Rios responded immediately after with a brisk counterattack, but Keanu Reid’s effort was charged down by a recovering defender.
Glenmuir continued to press and again when Dusting Cohen found space inside the 18-yard box for a right-footed effort, which was denied by Maleek Martin’s outstretched leg.
However, their offensive persistence paid off in the 18th minute when Watson scored his 23rd goal of the season from the penalty spot after captain Ja-Son Whyte was taken out inside the red zone.
Ocho Rios, undeterred, mounted an attempt to level the score and should have done so in the 28th, but Reid, who had a clear look on goal, fired his effort high and wide, as Glenmuir remained 1-0 up at the break.
Glenmuir picked up where they left off on the resumption and had another close shave in the 52nd when Whyte’s shot from a distance was deflected and kissed the upright on the way out.
They eventually doubled the lead in the 79th minute, when Whyte struck another shot from distance that came off Allen’s back, leaving Martin well beaten.
Ocho Rios, struggling to keep up with Glenmuir’s Blackwood’s left-footer from way out, bettered Martin at his near post four minutes from time.
Head coach Veron Peterkin acknowledged that his Ocho Rios team was outplayed on the day.
“We made some little errors here and there and it cost us the game, but to be fair, Glenmuir had the better game and came out on top. When we had our chances we just weren’t decisive enough, so it was just one of those games,” he said.
Wednesday’s results
Munro College 2, Clarendon College 1
Glenmuir 3, Ocho Rios 0
McGrath High 1, Manchester High 0
Frome Technical 1, Cornwall College 0
Central High 1, Denbigh 0
Martin wants Southampton to keep on smiling
Russell Martin is hopeful his Southampton players can use their midweek EFL Cup win to provide some momentum when they take on Everton.
The Saints have picked up just one point from their first nine games back in the Premier League ahead of Saturday's visit of Everton to St Mary's.
All three of Southampton's wins so far this season have come in the EFL Cup, most recently beating second-tier Stoke City 3-2 on Tuesday.
Despite only just scraping through thanks to a late winner after squandering a two-goal lead, Martin wants it to be used as a springboard to push on in the league.
"We need to celebrate every victory as a group," Martin said. "Whether it's against a Championship team in the cup, a Premier League game, you have to enjoy those moments together.
"The guys were a bit annoyed coming in, they didn't look very happy, so I reminded them they're allowed to smile. By the end they are smiling and the music was on. Hopefully we can carry that on on Saturday."
Everton are eight points better off than bottom-place Southampton in 16th, having recovered from a slow start by collecting nine points across a five-game unbeaten run.
The Toffees were far from their best in last weekend's clash with Fulham at Goodison Park, but Beto came off the substitutes’ bench to rescue a last-gasp 1-1 draw.
And that spirit to fight until the end is something manager Sean Dyche wants to see more of from his side as they prepare for their trip to England's South Coast.
"I thought we were short of where we have been against Fulham," he said. "On the other hand, the balance of football is it lasts for 90-plus minutes. I have asked the players for relentlessness and I thought that was on show.
"We weren't playing our best, but we found a way to get something from the game. Over a season, it is important to keep getting something from games in the Premier League."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southampton - Jan Bednarek
Bednarek has started all nine of Southampton's games in the Premier League this season and also started the midweek cup win over Stoke.
While he boasts the second-most completed passes (691) of all players in the division this season, he is currently on the longest run of starts without winning a game (22) since Jonny Evans between April 2017 and January 2018 (28 games).
Everton - Ashley Young
Young has managed to prove his doubters wrong with recent performances, which includes three assists in his past five Premier League appearances - as many as he had across his previous 124.
The full-back is one of three players to have assisted as many as three goals after turning 39 years of age, along with Teddy Sherringham and Ryan Giggs.
MATCH PREDICTION - DRAW
Southampton are without a win in their past 22 Premier League matches - only Derby County (32) and Sunderland (26) have even endured longer runs.
Should the Saints lose this weekend, they will equal Sheffield United's unwanted record for the fewest points (one) after the first 10 games of a Premier League season.
Everton, meanwhile, are five league games without defeat after losing their previous five, making this their best-such run since between August and October 2022 under Frank Lampard (six games).
The Toffees have lost five of their last seven top-flight games away at Southampton, though, albeit the most recent such trip ended in a 2-1 win in October 2022.
One further glimmer of hope for Southampton is that they have won 13 Premier League home games against Everton - against no side have they won more often on home soil (also 13 wins versus Newcastle United).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Southampton - 37.5%
Everton - 36.2%
Draw - 26.3%
'I couldn't ask for more' - Van Nistelrooy salutes Man Utd players after Leicester victory
Ruud van Nistelrooy says he "couldn't ask for more" from Manchester United as they marked his first match in interim charge with a 5-2 victory over Leicester City.
Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes both scored twice, while Alejandro Garnacho was also on target as the Red Devils booked their place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, where they will play Tottenham.
Van Nistelrooy was overseeing United in their first match since Erik ten Hag's dismissal on Monday, with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim expected to be announced as the latter's replacement.
"Credit to the players, they were fantastic today. I couldn't ask for more," he said.
"Against West Ham and Fenerbahce, we created so much and couldn't finish. All of a sudden, we had some luck on our side, and that made it a great night.
"It is always the target to react and attack. The reaction of the players after the Leicester goals was excellent, and they deserve credit. I am glad the crowd will go home happy."
Van Nistelrooy acknowledged he had mixed emotions at taking over the reins from Ten Hag, who brought the former United striker back to Old Trafford as his assistant coach in July.
However, he underlined the importance of concentrating on the job in hand, and ensuring his players were ready for Wednesday's tie.
"It is clear that this is going to be short term, so for me, today was the most important day after what happened," he added. "Of course, receiving the players and getting together for the first day after Erik had to leave was a sad day to share.
"He was the one that asked me to work back here again, and in the first conversation we had, I felt such a passion and care for this football club. That is why I was so sad to see him go.
"Having said that, football and life continue, and we knew that 75,000 people would be waiting for us here today, with millions more watching at home behind their screens and radios. You have to switch then as players.
"We tried to switch that button for the players, try to get the mindset going, and go out tonight and give everything for the fans."
On his own future at United, he continued: "I am here to help, to serve and give my everything for the club. That will never change."
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