Banks Masters kicks off today

SIXTEEN?FOREIGN?teams and a dozen local sides will take part in the 18th annual Bank Masters International Football Festival, which kick off today at the Wanderers Grounds and Dover at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
Plans for this year’s tournament were outlined by coordinator of the festival, Paul “Starsky” Wright, at a media briefing held at the Sporting Pig Restaurant at Time Out In The Gap in St Lawrence, yesterday.
Wright told members of the media and sponsors that this year’s tournament had attracted teams from the United States, Canada, England, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana and Grenada.
“This year we missed out on having teams out of Paraguay and Brazil, who were all keen to take part but could not do so because of the lateness of the confirmation. This was out of our control but we are hoping to have them here for next year’s tournament.”
Today’s first round of matches will kick off at Wanderers at 1 p.m. with Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force coming up against the Old Red Men from Grenada, while at 2 p.m. last year’s defending champions Unity from Trinidad and Tobago will face the Barbados Ambassadors Of Canada.
In addition to the two venues for today’s matches, games will also be played at the Desmond Haynes Oval in Black Rock.
Wright also noted that the tournament, which is being sponsored by Banks, the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Tourism Development Corporation, has attracted just over 500 overseas visitors, the majority of whom will be staying at hotels on the South Coast.
“This year, our numbers are a bit on the low side, but next year we are aiming to double this figure and target [many more teams],” Wright added. (CH)