Blackheart Football Tournament kicks off in Mabouya Valley

[dropcap]U[/dropcap]nder the theme “Football is Life,” the 2018 Blackheart Productions / St Lucia Football Association Knockout Football Tournament was launched Tuesday evening inside the conference room of the St Lucia Olympic Committee headquarters in La Clery.

You could say this tournament which began in 1997 is fully independent now more than ever, having turned 21 this year. This will be the 16th edition of the tournament which has flourished, despite the fact it has not always received the recognition it deserves.

Sponsorship in these trying times has not been easy for Blackheart, especially from foreign entities which one speaker noted receive all kinds of concessions, yet are unwilling to support a tournament that benefits St Lucia’s young men. However at 21, Blackheart has been able to stand on its own two feet, thanks to a loyal group of sponsors who continue to see the benefits of this competition.

Sponsors made their presence felt that evening, made brief remarks and congratulated Blackheart Productions CEO, David “Shakes” Christopher, for once again staging the event. Seated with him at the head table was Flow representative, Mc Claude Emmanuel; Sergin Jn Baptise (St Lucia Distillers); Donna Calderon (Blue Waters St Lucia); Victor Red (St Lucia Football Association); Patrick Mathurin (Ministry of Youth Development and Sports) and Cuthbert Didier who is a Blackheart advisor. Missing was a representative from Windward and Leeward and Brewery who was unable to attend the function. The emcee for evening was Tennyson Wesley Glasgow better known to all as “The Analyst.”

After introducing everyone, Glasgow went back in time. He said: “Gone are the years when I dubbed Blackheart as just a tournament. I have said so before and I will say it again. This year I don’t know if you have realized it, but we have changed it a little bit. Before we use to around the island in terms of having warm up matches. We trusted teams to warm up themselves. That meant they got in touch with one another and created friendlies to see how best they could select the best squad for the tournament.”

He pointed out that in the past some teams cheated themselves in terms of how they prepared an as a result, came the creation of zonal qualifiers which he referred to as “a tournament within itself.”

Didier who was first to address the gathering that included not only sponsors but the Blackheart family and representatives from various teams, acknowledged the candle light vigil on the La Clery Playing field in memory of Botham Jean, who was shot and killed in is apartment by an off duty female police officer and asked for a moment of silence.

Commenting on the tournament which kicked off 21 year ago Didier said: “You know what happens when your 21. You are on your own and get no support from your parents anymore to a certain extent. The unique thing about this Blackheart Tournament is that it has never needed a Lockerbie [Sports Consultant]. It has never needed Chinese or bosses. It has never needed concessions to be successful. It is all national people here. The sponsors are national, the footballers are all national and it can pack a stadium with 10,000 people. But it does not get the concessions and it is still not a national event.”

Having said that Didier told everyone: “I am not here to pick any fights, I actually purposely stayed out of the media for a year and a half, but I still have a lot of things to say, but I will use tonight in support of Blackheart.”

He commended all the sponsors and in doing so singled out Patrick Mathurin of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports who he said “has been through a lot of fire for his passion.”

Didier also mentioned persons in the out districts especially the communities for supporting this competition.

Didier used the word unique several times when referring to the present state of the country and the effect it has on the young population. He remarked: “St Lucia is going through unique times, under unique circumstances, under unique governance and there are unique challenges but and let’s not take this lightly.”

From a social standpoint he feels Blackheart is doing their best to make a positive contribution in the life of individuals. Referring to the players he said: “These are young men who have challenges who go home in the ghetto, who go home in depressed communities. From what Shakes and Tennyson were briefing me on earlier today, we are beginning to see a legacy of success through Blackheart and the St Lucia Football Association.”

Didier received a round of applause when he said: “These young men in these communities need your support, from Jazzbo to Harris Paints to Blue Waters to the Document Centre. Let me give you a warning. If you do not support or invest in young people in depressed areas, then crime will come knocking on your door whether it is Cap Estate or Marchand.

In closing Didier pointed out that the tournament is not all about the fanfare, the selling of drinks etc, but is much more that . After 16 years he is proud to be associated with the tournament.

Christopher started out by mentioning the longevity of this tournament and said: “Mathematically speaking it is 21 years old. We had five years of ups and downs but we still stand firm and now celebrating 16 years.”

Despite the success of this tournament Christopher admitted he faces a monumental challenge when it comes to persuading businesses in St Lucia, “this is the way to go and this how we unite communities through sports.”

He paid tribute to players and loved ones which the Blackheart family lost along the way. He made special mention to the man he constantly refers to as a “fallen soldier” – the late great Brian McDonald.

The Blackheart CEO also spoke highly of the St Lucia Football Association (SLFA), who are among the biggest supporters of this tournament. He congratulated the SLFA and said “what they are doing is bearing fruit now.”