NMIFA to conclude fall co-ed league Sunday

The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association will be wrapping up the 2008 Fall Co-Ed Soccer League this Sunday with a whole day schedule of games at the Commonwealth Ports Authority Field.

The league organized by CNMI Men’s National team member Angelo Villagomez started in June with about 100 players divided into six teams, namely Captain Morgan’s, Deaniacs, Greg and Mel’s Friends, Gil Fever, Devil’s Advocates, and the Sureshanks.

Several members of the CNMI Men’s and Women’s National squads, and their coach, Nick Swaim are playing in the league, but they are there only to provide direction to new players.

The league is more focused on newcomers and incorporates fun than competition in each game to encourage more players to join the sport.

“Referees and team captains repeatedly emphasized the ‘fun’ aspect of the league, reminding players who got overzealous to tone down their play to a level that allowed for all to enjoy the game safely,” said Rio Sawmill, one of the organizers of the season-ending tournament this weekend.

“We thank Angelo Villagomez for spearheading the league and the members of the CNMI National teams for spending time with new players and sharing their expertise,” he added.

Records from the past games were not kept to highlight the fun part of league, but come this Sunday’s tournament, teams will be battling for bragging rights in the preliminary games in the morning and in the championship round in the afternoon.

The first preliminary game of the day will have the Sureshanks colliding with Captain Morgan’s at 8am. At 9pm, Greg and Mel’s Friends will duel the Devil’s Advocates; Captain Morgan’s will face Gil Fever at 10am; the Devil’s Advocates will challenge the Deanics at 11am; the Surshanks will square off with Gil Fever at 12pm; and Greg and Mel’s Friends will meet the Deanics at 1pm.

The top two teams after the preliminaries will battle for the championship at 4pm. The consolation match between the third and fourth place teams is set for 3pm.

Participants and their families are expected to enjoy the season-ending games this Sunday, as organizers prepared an all-day BBQ party for the event.

“The league will provide a tent for cover, hotdogs, hamburgers, buns, and condiments for grilling. We are hoping that players, their families and friends will treat it like a potluck and bring side dishes to share with each other. We will also have water and some sodas, but we need people to bring more coolers and ice. We also want to encourage anyone who enjoys playing soccer to join us,” Sawmill said.

NMIFA may open a tournament next month and interested players who will attend this weekend’s event will have a chance to hook up with teams.