Previous Story
Spring youth league kicks off tomorrow, draws 60 teams
A Paire Football Club goalie goes for a catch during their boys U15 division game against MP United FC in the 2017 NMIFA Fall Youth League at the Koblerville Elementary School Field. Youth football action returns this Saturday when the league opens its spring season. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)
The 2018 NMIFA Spring Youth League will start tomorrow and will feature 60 teams spread throughout eight age groups.
The non-competitive co-ed U11 division has the most squads with 11, as MP United Football, Paire Football Club, and Kanoa Football Club are fielding two teams each in the group. Matansa Football Club, Shirley’s Football Club, Southern United Football Club, TanHoldings Football Club, and Tinian Premier Football Club have one team apiece.
In the other non-competitive division, 10 squads will be playing in the co-ed U9, while seven each are competing in the co-ed U13B and co-ed U6.
In the competitive division, the girls U16 age group has seven teams, while the boys U18, co-ed U13A, and boys U15 category have six squads each. The number of teams in the spring league is more than the 2017 fall season’s total (47), as the organizing Northern Mariana Islands Football Association made some modifications in the age groups.
Both games in the non-competitive and competitive ages in the different age groups will be played at the various school fields.
At the Hopwood Middle School Field, MPU and Paire will open the hostilities in the boys U18 division as they collide in the 8:10am match. Two other games will be played in the division with Matansa battling TanHoldings at 9:50am and Kanoa dueling National Development Academy at 11:30pm. NDA is made up of players under the national training pool.
Hopwood will also host matches in the co-ed U13A and the triple-header will have MPU vs Paire; Matansa against TanHoldings; and Kanoa-1 opposite Kanoa-2.
Over at the Francisco M. Sablan Middle School Field in San Antonio, MPU will meet Southern United in the first girls U16 tiff, while the two other pairings in the division are TanHoldings vs Paire and Kanoa over Matansa.
In the boys U15 division games at the Koblerville Elementary School Field, MP United will have its season debut against Paire, while Matansa will meet TanHoldings, and Kanoa will challenge Shirley’s.
