National Hero of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Viv Richards, has given his blessings for the staging of the Island Cup Open (ISCO), a franchise football tournament set to start in the summer of 2021 in Antigua and Barbuda and nine other franchises across the region, Central and South America, including Brazil. The private franchises are owned by investors branded under the respective countries.
The Islands Cup Open (ISCO) is a multi-national Tournament that will fuse high-level football with cultural experiences of the Caribbean and extending to the inclusion of the greater world players. In this Tournament, the best available players from both eras will be able to ply their trade in one integrated Arena.
Sir Viv, who has played World Cup Football for Antigua and Barbuda, has thrown his full support behind this project as Brand Ambassador for ISCO. He fully endorses the initiative by Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CTFL).
Anderson, a former Trinidad and Tobago International player, disclosed that in the past 18 years he has invested US $8.5 million “in developing this project”. ISCO is designed as a charitable campaign through its own established charity, “Kick Poverty Out”, which is established to focus on supplying nutritional meals before and after school and recreational events. The goal is also to supply sports equipment for use during and after school.
Anderson disclosed that there are international franchises who have so far secured players. The star-studded lineup includes the likes of Barcelona and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Touré and Cameroonian Football sensation Samuel Eto’o. Some of the coaches include England’s former International Sol Campbell, Andy Cole, along with former England’s Head Coach Sven Groen Erikson.
Anderson however noted that currently the tentative start date for the championship is late next summer.
He said, “Beyond 2021 we will be looking at a May through August schedule, but for 2021 we will look and see how the COVID new protocols standards are and we will go from there,”
There are 21 Professional Soccer Leagues around the world. The League in the United States is Major League Soccer (MLS) and it is ranked seventh in popularity among the world’s leagues.
Islands Cup Open will give players in the Caribbean region an opportunity to be part of a Brand with its own Identity.