NMIFA U12 league kicks off today

Eight teams will be debuting today, as the Inaugural 2008 NMIFA U12 Interscholastic Football League kicks off in various school fields on Saipan.

Northern Group’s Tanapag Elementary School will be playing its first game in its home field against Saipan International School at 3:30pm.

Over at the Gregorio T. Camacho field, the host team will duel Whispering Palms/Brilliant Star in the other game in the Northern Group.

The Southern Group will also have two games with Oleai Elementary School visiting San Antonio Elementary School. William S. Reyes Elementary School will face Dandan Elementary School A at the San Vicente Elementary School Field in the other match in the Southern Group.

This year’s U12 league will have 17 competing teams with the Northern Group composed of seven schools and the Southern Group having eight.

Completing the list are Garapan Elementary School, Eucon International School, and Kagman Elementary School of the Northern Group; Dandan B, Saipan Community School, Koblerville Elementary School, and San Vicente Elementary School of the Southern Group.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Federation president Jerry Tan is ecstatic to have 17 teams in the first-ever U12 league.

“The interscholastic league is part of NMIFA’s overall development of football program in the CNMI, thus, I am very pleased with 17 teams from both public and private schools to participate in our inaugural season. We want to bring football to every corner of CNMI, and bringing the sport to school system is one way of achieving it,” Tan said.

“Although this is a new sport to many students, I am sure they will enjoy learning it and NMIFA is committed to extend full support to every school. I expect many of these student players will one day become our national players representing CNMI in many international competitions,” he added.

Tan said having an organized interscholastic league will help the CNMI secure membership from the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA and funding for its programs.

“AFC and FIFA do give high importance to school competitions, so the interscholastic league will definitely help our application to become one of their members,” said Tan, who thanked NMIFA Interscholastic Committee chair Patricia Coleman for spearheading the U12 league.

Coleman coordinated with PSS officials and coaches/teachers and those from the private schools on Saipan to create a U12 league.

Dandan Elementary School principal Jonas Barcinas is this year’s league commissioner and he and Coleman vowed to work with coaches and referees to ensure the success of the inaugural league.

The U12 league will have a round-robin format in the regular season with the top two teams in the Southern and Northern groups gaining entries to the playoffs.