Bahamian International Assistant Referee Paul Messam has recently received notification from CONCACAF of his appointment to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biggest football tournament conducted in the region. This will be the second appointment Messam has received for this prestigious event, having also served as an official at the FIFA U-17 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland two years ago. In addition to this, Messam has also served at the World Cup Qualifiers, Qualifying Tournaments for thU-17 and U-20, as well as Caribbean Cup matches in the region. Easily the most decorated of Bahamian officials; Messam's performances continue to do Bahamian.........

With a new name and an extended format this year to include girls, the BFA National Academy is scheduled to commence on July 4, 2005. The programme, formally known as the Centre for Excellence Programme, will again run for a period of three weeks, with sessions conducted Monday to Friday starting at 10:00 am and concluding at 3:00 pm daily. This year, after much work, the National programme will include girls for the first time. Two age categories for girls, U-11 and U-13, will be added to the four for boys, U-9, U-11, U-13 and U-15. Additionally, a Goalkeeping category will once again be conducted that will include both boys and girls......

After months of planning and organizing, the BFA Futsal League will commence on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 at the DW Davis Gymnasium. Seven teams have indicated their desire to participate in the inaugural tournament which will cater to players aged 35 and over, and three matches will be played every Wednesday night. Having had two representatives attend the FIFA Futuro III Course for Referees and Coaches in Futsal last September, BFA officials were eager to establish the programme on home soil. An introductory seminar was conducted in November to introduce the sport and also to provide some interest in this style of the game. A series of matches were conducted at the gym to familiarize the teams and players......

With the aim of spreading the message of football throughout the entire Bahamas, the BFA conducted a Curriculum Course Seminar on the island of Abaco two weeks ago. Some 9 participants representing schools on the island participated in the course conducted by BFA General Secretary Lionel Haven, Technical Director Gary White and Staff Coach Wilson Bain. The course is the first stage in the BFA's plan to integrate football in the public school system, and seeing the success that the programme has had in New Providence and....