The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE final sporting events of the scholastic calendar look to conclude the Ministry of Education’s national championship initiative on a high note.

The National Soccer Championships and debut of the National Interschool Equestrian Championships are on tap to take place over the course of the next two months.

The second edition of the National Soccer Championships is scheduled for May 20-June 7. The tournament’s format will begin with the first round games played in New Providence and Grand Bahama on May 20.

The Preliminary Final will take place in New Providence May 27 with the official draw two days later on May 29.

Evon Wisdom, the sports unit director in the Ministry of Education, said the logistics of the event are still in the works as the fallout from Hurricane Matthew compressed the athletic seasons.

“We are having some challenges as the soccer season has been displaced. We are attempting to see how best we can get through the regular seasons and the school bodies have been cooperating with us. We want them to have a self-sufficient season where they can play enough games and be ready for nationals. We want to fit into the plans that the Bahamas Football Association has for their series of events,” he said.

The tournament is expected to include schools from the BAISS, GSSSA, Grand Bahama and other Family Islands.

“This is a true national championship event because of the high volume of travel. We have attempted to broaden the scope of the championships. That is something that we are looking at very close. What the BFA has done is assisted us in finding play that it as an equitable level.

“The play has been fairly strong in Abaco. There may be one or two other islands we are looking at but we are proud of the fact that island schools will be invited based on their level of play and not a thing where you are automatically invited,” Wisdom said.

“While we clearly understand that there are lots of teams that want to participate, at the nationals a level of play must set the standard. We want to create a level of excitement throughout the family island for the sport. We believe as a ministry we have to do a better job of helping the BFA to help the sport to grow at the school level, which can be a building block for the future.”

The Queen’s College Comets and St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine are the defending champions in the senior boys and girls divisions respectively.

The first National Interschool Equestrian Championships will take place April 29 at the Camperdown Equestrian Centre.

Originally encompassing a series of interschool competitions beginning in December, and culminating in a National Championship event, the competition format was changed for this school year to a single interschool championship event.

Participating schools include Queen’s College, St. Augustine’s. St. Andrew’s, Lyford Cay, Windsor and Tambearly.

The National Sports Secretariat, which is jointly headed by the Ministers of Education, Science and Technology and Youth, Sports and Culture, made a commitment to broaden our base and include more National Sports Championships this year for High School Sports,” Wisdom said. “We stand by this commitment 100%. And thus, despite the funding challenges presented by the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, we will be funding these events.”