Gonsalves: Beach football not an immediate priority

Developing a national beach football league is not on the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association’s (ABFA) to do list.
This is according to the ABFA President Everton Gonsalves, who said consideration will be given to a beach football league following the completion of their regular and annual competitions.
“Priority is our usual grass field leagues and as such, that is where our focus is right now but I can tell you that as soon as we make the final preparations for that and have it signed off by the executive that all is in place in terms of sponsorship and new and improved facilities and all that, we will be jumping right into the beach preparation,” he said.
Gonsalves’ statement comes months after the FA’s General Secretary, Gordon Derrick, said there were plans to pursue a beach soccer league following the conclusion of the 2016/17 domestic leagues.
Gonsalves, a former national player, however added that the FA has not completely shelved the idea.
“Two gentlemen have called me, one who has a property down by old Pensioners Beach and one, I think, around Castaways and they are very interested in setting up a beach football facility. In addition to that, there was a part of the car park [at East Bus Station] and they had allocated a football facility there and I saw that the stands were there and the area was quite big in terms of an additional beach football facility,” the president said.
Antigua & Barbuda competed in the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship held 20-26 February in the Bahamas.