Football in the Cayman Islands

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Football is one of the most popular sports in the Cayman Islands .

history

Football has been played on the Cayman Islands since 1950, but there were no football fields on the islands at that time. It wasn't until 1960, thanks to Clifton Hunter and Timothy McField , that a sports field - The Annex - was built in George Town . Clifton Hunter worked in parallel in West Bay and drove the development of football there. During this time, a rivalry arose between the two districts, the capital region and the West Bay region, which continues to this day. For a long time, the two soccer fields in George Town and West Bay were the only places in the country.

In 1966 the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) was founded.

With the growing number of soccer fans in the Cayman Islands, the need for new venues was very great. The Annex was expanded in 1982, Ed Bush Field in West Bay was opened in 1994, the first game in this stadium was won by the national team of the Cayman Islands against Jamaica , which qualified them for the Shell Caribbean Cup . Impressed by this achievement, the government approved the construction of additional stadiums.

In 1992 the CIFS became a member of CONCACAF and FIFA

In 1995 the CIFS built a modern sports complex, the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, and in July 1995 the Cayman Islands hosted the Shell Caribbean Cup. That same year, Pelé himself opened Donovan Rankine Field in the East End.

Fosters National League

The Cayman Islands have their own football league, the Foster's National League . Every year the eight best teams play for the Caiman championship title. Scholars International FC currently owns this . In the season 2008 / 2009 the following teams play in the first league:

National team

Since joining FIFA in 1992, the Cayman Islands have regularly tried to secure a place at the World Cup , but one nation has stood in the way of their efforts: in all attempts they were defeated by their island neighbor Cuba in the first round . In 1996 the overall result was 6-0 for Cuba, in 2000 it was 4-0 - although this time the Cayman Islands won at least one point with a goalless draw at the Truman Bodden Stadium in Grand Cayman - and in 2004 they lost 2-1 at home and in Cuba with 0: 3.

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