ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (August 26, 2023)—The finals of 2023 CFU Girls’ U14 Challenge Series have been brought forward to 8:30 AM for Tier I and 11:30 AM for Tier II. The matches were rescheduled owing to unforeseen matters related to travel for one of the teams.

Puerto Rico will face Aruba in the Tier I final in the first match at 8:30 am, while in a French Overseas Territory derby, Guadeloupe will face Martinique for Tier II honors at 11:30 am.

“We all know the challenges with regional travel. One of our teams must leave on Sunday due to these issues, so we made the decision to bring forward the games,” CFU General Secretary Camara David said.

“It has been an exciting competition so far. We’ve had 44 matches, good competition, camaraderie, and we can see the development right before our eyes. We’re looking forward to a pair of thrilling matches on Sunday, and we invite the Antiguan public to come support the girls,” David added.

ABFA General Secretary Rohan Hector also invited football fans to attend the games.

“We have had 20 teams in action across two pitches at the ABFA Technical Center. We’ve seen good football from the next crop of players. We’ve also seen the ABFA rise to level to host what is arguably one of the largest competitions in Antigua. We’re inviting supporters of football, women’s football and youth football to come to the finals.”

Instituted in 2018, the CFU U-14 Challenge Series is a holistic developmental competition that caters to boys and girls in alternating years. 

The Challenge Series is the introduction to international competition and exposure for players. It hues to CFU’s developmental agenda and FIFA’s focus on further developing grassroots football in the region.

The Challenge Series is also a pivotal component of the CFU’s Next Generation Referee Course. It affords regional match officials who possess the requisite skills to advance to the FIFA International Refereeing Lists technical and practical training.