GT Dolphins in prime position to win FortisTCI U17 title

THE Grand Turk Dolphins can win the 2023 FortisTCI U-17 Elite Youth Co-ed Football League with a victory this Saturday when the final round is held at the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) Academy.

The side currently have 20 points from six wins in nine games. They need to win against the bottom-of-the-table North Caicos Seals (one win and eight defeats in nine games).

The Dolphins’ main rivals, the Provo Falcons, will also stand a chance, but they need to win their last two games and hope that the Dolphins are not victorious.

The Falcons currently have 15 points in nine games with a goal difference of 14, compared to the Dolphins’ goal difference of nine.

The Falcons will open the final round with a game at 9 am against the Provo Jaguars before they meet the South Caicos Mariners later in the morning.

The Provo Lions also have a chance, given that they have 14 points from eight games with a goal difference of six.

If they can win their games by large margins against the Jaguars (on 13 points) and the South Caicos Mariners (7 points), and the Dolphins and Falcons lose, it will come down to goal difference, but that is very slim at best.

According to information from FortisTCI, the games will be followed by the league’s closing ceremony and awards presentation, starting at 3:00 pm.

Trophies will be awarded to the first, second, and third-placed teams. Individual awards will also be presented to the leading goal scorer (Golden Boot), the best goalkeeper (Golden Glove), and the Most Valuable Player (MVP).

“The FortisTCI Elite Youth Co-ed Football League was conceptualised in 2020 to provide high-level competition for the Turks and Caicos Islands’ under-17 male football players.”

The release added that FortisTCI signed on as a diamond sponsor of the league in a three-year partnership with the TCIFA.

Delayed by the pandemic, the league officially launched in June 2021 and featured eight teams drawn from Providenciales, Grand Turk, South Caicos, and North Caicos, with games played on Providenciales. In 2022, the league welcomed female players to its ranks, and in 2023, the tournament was staged in Providenciales, North Caicos, and Grand Turk, expanding its reach to youth footballers and football fans on the Sister Islands.

FortisTCI first partnered with the TCIFA in 2017 to launch the FortisTCI Youth Football League for under-13 boys and girls across the country and has since worked closely with the TCIFA to support youth football development across the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“In addition to sponsoring the leagues, the company and its employees provide hydration stations at each league game during the Elite Youth Football tournament and grassroots football season. FortisTCI employees volunteer hundreds of hours to support the football programme each year.

“FortisTCI and the TCIFA encourage parents, football fans, and well-wishers to attend the games to support the players.”