FOOTBALL-Confederation hands over Club Shield tournament to CFU

MIAMI, Florida, CMC—The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) will fully organize and manage the Caribbean Club Shield starting this year.

According to a news release from Concacaf, the Confederation shifted responsibility for the tournament. It will support its delivery, with the CFU taking complete control of the organization and management from this year onwards.

“The development of regional club football is a major priority for Concacaf, and alongside our Caribbean member associations, we are dedicated to fully supporting the growth of clubs and leagues across a region known for its passion for the sport,” CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said.

“This collaboration with the CFU is a testament to the leadership of the CFU president and highlights our ambition to deliver opportunities that will take the game in the Caribbean to the next level. We look forward to supporting the delivery of the inaugural CFU Club Shield later this year.”

Under the terms of the agreement between the two football bodies, the tournament will be rebranded as the CFU Club Shield and will qualify two clubs for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

“The CFU is extremely pleased to take over the management and organization of the Club Shield and to rebrand it as an official CFU competition,” CFU president Randy Harris, the president of the Barbados Football Association, added.

“We welcome Concacaf’s cooperation in ushering in this new era of the CFU delivering an important club competition, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Confederation to grow club and league football in the region.

“We are excited to deliver a competition as robust as any on the field of play and to deliver administration that meets and exceeds the mark.”

The Caribbean Club Shield was established six years ago, and its primary objective is to advance professional football throughout the Caribbean.

Participation is open to semi-professional and amateur teams holding current championship titles in their respective domestic leagues.

The tournament format involves up to 16 clubs, grouped into four sets of four, with the winners of each group progressing to the semifinals, with the ultimate finalists earning coveted berths in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, subsequently qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup.

SV Robinhood of Suriname won both the Caribbean Club Shield and the Caribbean Cup last year, and the team has solidified its position as the most successful team in the history of the Shield, boasting two titles.

This year’s Shield tournament will be held between July 25 and August 4, and the venue will be announced later.