Photo: Dalton Myers, President of the University of the West Indies FC.
The University of the West Indies FC is expecting a baptism of fire when they face defending champions Arnett Gardens in their first ever top flight game on Monday September 6th in the first live Monday night game of the 2015-2016 Red Stripe Premier League season.
Having come close on a number of occasions, the UWI finally gained promotion to the RSPL when they topped the Confederation playoffs this summer, but have no illusions about what to expect at the highest level.
Speaking with Yardie Sports at the launch of the 2015-16 football season, President of the club Dalton Myers said, “The idea is to stay up. That must be the aim. We are talking about eleven other fantastic clubs that have been there before. Portmore who is returning has been there before so they have the experience, we don’t have that kind of experience whether administratively or with our players. That is the dream (staying up), anything else is a bonus.”
Surprisingly, the UWI players are excited about taking on the defending champions up front and vow not to be overawed when they go into the “Jungle” for their debut under lights and they are sure to have lots of support from the student body.
“The players are excited, they are rearing to go… they are in a fantastic mood. The students themselves are ready. More of them are coming in as school starts and they are excited to come and support. The staff has been there for a long time and has wanted to see this for years now,” Myers explained.
“Professor Gordon Shirley had a fantastic dream when he was principal, the administration is getting involved, the principal, the deputy principal are really into this and the first time for a long time we see a campus that is fully supportive of the football program and believes in what it can do, not just for the students who are playing, but for the University in general. It’s an historic moment.”
The Red Stripe Premier League gets underway on Sunday September 6th with five games, FC Reno hosts Humble Lion at Frome Complex and Tivoli Gardens hosts Cavalier SC at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex at 3:30pm. Rivoli United hosts Waterhouse FC at Prison Oval at 4:00pm and Montego Bay United hosts the returning Portmore United at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at 5:00pm, while the late kick-off sees Harbour View hosting rivals Boys Town at the Hrbour View Mini-Stadium at 6:30pm.
The Arnett Gardens v UWI game kicks off at 8:30pm on Monday night.
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