The president of the Dominican Football Federation (Fedofutbol), Rubén García and Arturo Heinsen, secretary-general of the Dominican Football League (LDF) say that the growth of soccer in the Dominican Republic is a reality. The efforts to build the sport are evident. The Dominican under 20 team, ranked 23rd of 41 countries, last week won the recent U20 championship and slots to compete in the 2023 Santiago de Chile Pan American Games and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
García and Heinsen, in an interview with El Caribe, highlighted several of the key points in the local development of the sport in the last few years. They say soccer in the Dominican Republic is living its best moment with the two historic qualifiers, first to the U20 World Cup and then to the Paris Olympic Games, confirming the sport has reached unexpected levels.
The Dominican Football League (LDF) has received the approval of the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the North, Central American and Caribbean Football Confederation (Concacaf) to hold important international competitions in the country, says Rubén García who presides the Domiican Football Federation (Fedofutbol).
He said that this growth of local soccer is the product of hard work at Fedofútbol in these last two years. “Since we took over the federation in 2020, we started with a clear idea of what we wanted with Dominican soccer and where we wanted to take it. National competitions that were not held before and are now held. For instance, the national U-19 men’s and women’s tournaments and the U-13 and U-16 are happening regularly. García explained these feed the national teams that today represent the country in international competitions.
Arturo Heinsen, secretary-general of the federation, valued the support of the International Football Federation (FIFA) to the development of the sport here. He said the support has flowed thanks to the ethical and transparent management of the contributions. US$4 million in commitments of between seven and eight million have been received.
García and Heinsen detailed the calendar of competitions for the rest of the year. “Soccer does not stop,” García pointed out. “There is so much activity. There is a constant rhythm. Locally we have a lot of national tournaments. We have just held one with more than 50 matches, which means that the planning we set out to do is on the right track,” he added.
Upcoming is the CFU U-14 championship that will be held 10-22 August with teams from 26 countries in the Caribbean. There is also the window for the U-17 category.
“If we look at the planning for the rest of the year, we will have three international events, plus national competitions. That means that the Dominican Republic has been the center of attention of Concacaf and FIFA since we took over the federation,” said Heinsen.
They thanked President Luis Abinader for allowing the Dominican Republic to remain open to playing the sport during the Covid-19 pandemic. This enabled the country to stage international competitions when other nations were forced to cancel important championships.
“From 2021 to date we have held more than 300 international matches in the country. All Concacaf, CFU and FIFA competitions have been played in the Dominican Republic. This not only helps the federation and soccer to continue growing, but is a boost to the economy through sports tourism,” said Heinsen, the secretary-general of Fedofútbol.
The international funds from FIFA have enabled the repair of several stadiums, including the one in Moca, which recently had lights installed, La Vega, Parque del Este, Panamericano, and the construction of a soccer facility in Jarabacoa.
Ruben Garcia said that the role played by the Dominican Football League (LDF) in the development of new talent has been vital, and an example is that 14 members of the U-20 national team belong to the different teams that see action in the current circuit championship, which has already concluded its regular series and will now enter the “Liguilla” phase.
He says nothing has happened by chance. “That role has been vital. It has also been decisive. This has been a sum of many things, where presidents of associations, through the work they are doing with the tournaments, as well as amateur and professional clubs have contributed,” he said. Garcia explained that the LDF has been the quarry for the current excellent athletes.
“In the squad of 20 players of the U-20 national team, 14 of them play in the LDF tournament. They are local players and come out of that tournament. They are practically the base of the national team. This has been a determining factor in the success of the U-20 team,” he added.
Midfielder Ángel Montes De Oca, who belongs to Cibao FC, and goalkeeper Omry Bello, who plays for O&M FC, are among the LDF players with outstanding performances in the recent Honduras tournament.
Once the Dominican U-20 team qualified for the Olympic Games, Ruben Garcia received a call from President Luis Abinader, to congratulate him on this historic achievement. “President Abinader has been wonderful to Dominican soccer. Every time he has the opportunity, he helps. We couldn’t ask for more. Every time we have requested it, he has been willing to collaborate with soccer, something that we are grateful for,” said García, who said that there is still no date for a possible reception of the national team at the Presidential Palace.
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El Caribe
6 July 2022