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NMIFA set to hold youth football festival Saturday
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Posted on Nov 12 2008
The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be hosting a youth football festival this Saturday at Hopwood Junior High School Field in Chalan Piao.
The youth festival is a biennial event in NMIFA’s calendar and aims to gather young strikers in the Commonwealth in a friendly and pressure-free competition.
The festival is patterned after Asian Football Confederation’s Grassroots and Youth Program, which holds festivals for U13 and U14 players twice a year. It encourages officials, coaches, and players towards good sportsmanship and a fair play code of behavior.
Games this Saturday will start at 8am, while the awards ceremony will begin at 11am.
Players competing in the ongoing Inaugural 2008 NMIFA U12 Interscholastic Football League are expected to join the festivities.
The first-ever U12 league has 17 teams, which were from various elementary schools on Saipan. The league is divided into two divisions, namely the Southern and Northern groups.
The Northern Group is composed of Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Garapan Elementary School, Kagman Elementary School, Whispering Palms, Eucon, Saipan International School, and Tanapag Elementary School.
The Southern Group has Dandan Elementary School A and B, Saipan Community School, William S. Reyes School, Koblerville Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, San Antonio Elementary School, and Oleai Elementary School.
The league is midway on its regular season and is expected to enter the playoff round next month. The top two teams in each group will advance to the playoffs.
The U12 league was created through the efforts of NMIFA, the Public Schools System, and several private schools on Saipan.
On and off-island companies, and individuals donated equipment package in September to allow schools to get ready for the league.
