Grenada Fields 20 Man Squad for the CFU U14 Boys Challenge Series 

PR – The National U14 Boys team will leave the island on Thursday  afternoon (August 11) for the Dominican Republic to participate in the Caribbean Football  Union’s (CFU) U-14 Challenge Series. 25 of 31 CFU Member Associations are competing in the  tournament scheduled for August 11-22, 2022. 

The Challenge Series serves as an introduction to international competition while allowing youth  players to work on their overall game and deportment. It is also a developmental competition,  allowing Caribbean match officials and referees the chance to learn and improve with a view to  earning other appointments within the CFU, Concacaf and further. 

The youth competition is usually held in alternate years for girls and boys. Last year, in a re emergence after Covid-19 disruptions, both competitions were held simultaneously. It was the  first time, Grenada fielded a team in the girls category. 

This year there are two tiers of competition with Grenada in Tier II, group 3 along with the  Cayman Islands, Martinique and St. Lucia. Groups 1-3 in Tier II will play three matches in the  group phases while Group 4 will play four matches. The top teams will advance to the Cross  Group Playoffs, with the top four reaching the semifinals and the last two playing for the  championship.  

Earlier this year, a nationwide selection process was held by the Grenada Football Association  (GFA) including Carriacou to provide all youth players with an equal opportunity to show their  talent and secure a space on the team. The team started off training with over 40 players which  has now been cut to 20 for the final squad. GFA Fitness and Performance Coach Claudio Altieri  who has been working closely with the team for the past few weeks to improve players’ fitness  ahead of the tournament said, “It has been a mix of enjoyment, discipline and hard working  sessions, therefore, we are more than ready to represent Grenada at the upcoming matches. “

President of the GFA Marlon Glean wished the team well saying, “We are very optimistic about  the future of football after seeing how far these youth players have come.” 

The following is the final squad and coaching staff for the tournament.