Former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke and the FA Cup made an appearance at the second Academy Sports Club Mini Slam Cup held on Monday, 23 January at the Academy Field.
The Cup featured a seven-a-side tournament with three age groups: U11 boys, U13 boys and U13 girls. Cayman Prep were the champions of the U11 boys tournament, with Future FC as runners up. The U13 boys tournament was an Academy sweep, with the Academy Jaguars as champions and the Academy Panthers as runners up. Sunset FC were the champions of the U13 girls tournament, with Savannah Tigers FC taking home silver.
Over 200 players were present at the Cup, playing in 32 matches at the tournament as well as taking advantage of the opportunity to hear tips from Dwight Yorke, a Tobagonian player who helped lead Manchester United to their treble victory in 1999 when they won the English Premier League, European Cup and FA Cup titles.
Players and fans also had the ability to see the FA Cup as it makes its way around a tour of the Caribbean courtesy of FLOW.
“It was an amazing day and Academy is grateful to FLOW for their sponsorship and support of the Mini Slam Cup,” said Paul Byles, U13/U15 Coach at Academy. “Having a prominent player like Dwight Yorke here, as well as the FA Cup, was very inspiring for our players.”
After the Mini Cup, Academy’s U17 team also had a chance to show off their skills as they took on Montego Bay United FC in an entertaining exhibition match. Montego Bay United claimed victory in that match despite Academy putting up a good fight.
“We hope to continue hosting these Mini Slam Cups in the future,” he said “It is a great opportunity for Cayman’s younger players to play in an organised format and improve their skills in a positive and encouraging environment.”
Other awards presented on the day were Jaxon Cover (U11 boys), Immanuel Duran (U13 boys) and Molly Kehoe (U13 girls) for leading goal scorer and Caleb Frederick of Future FC, Chad Owens of ASC Panthers and Ashanti Mellaneo of Tigers FC for fair play.
January 31, 2017 – CNS Local Life
January 30, 2017 – Radio Cayman
January 23, 2017 – Loop Cayman
