TWENTY-TWO overseas teams have landed in Barbados for the 20th Banks International Masters Football Festival which kicks off today.
At the opening ceremony at Sporting Pig, the official bar of the tournament, yesterday, chairman of the festival organising committee Paul “Starsky” Wright said of foreign entries, seven were international and 15 were regional teams.
“We are expecting some 800 overseas visitors. Some of the squads are absolutely enormous. This year we have individuals flying in from as far as Qatar, Equador, USA and Canada as well as some Caribbean nations . . . There is a cultural mix,” said Wright.
Happy sponsor
Wildey Masters of Barbados will be looking to defend their title in the tournament which will be played at three venues – Wanderers, Dover and Desmond Haynes Oval.
Wright said that the tournament organisers could not have done it without their sponsors Banks Breweries, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc and Scotia Bank.
Category manager of Banks Barbados Breweries, Charles Walcott, said Banks beer was glad be a sponsor since they had been a part of the event for over 15 years.
Marketing manager at Scotia Bank, Amanda Lynch-Foster, said the bank was pleased to be a part of the competition for the second time as an associate sponsor. She said the reaching of the 20-year milestone underlined the tournament’s popularity and quality. (RG)
