EAST Demerara Football Association (EDFA) in collaboration with Victoria Scorpions Football Club launched the EDFA Easter Cup on Thursday,The competition was launched at Victoria Community Centre.
The trophies which are up for grabsThe tournament will be played on a knockout basis and will feature 9 teams from the East Coast Demerara corridor.The teams are: Plaisance United, Paradise FC, BV/Triumph United, Buxton Stars, Melanie FC, Dynamics FC, Golden Stars and Mahaica Determinators and co-organisers Victoria Scorpions. The competition starts on March 26, and concludes on April 12, 2020.Some of the sponsors for the tournament are: Lester Mining, GUYOIL, Farfan and Mendes Group of Companies, Cuffy’s Metal Works and Fabrication, Healthy Choice Ital Bar, Kojo Huntley, Shawn Douglas, Banks DIH, and HGPTV.
ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) – FIFA is considering postponing the Asian World Cup qualifiers due to be played this month because of the coronavirus outbreak, the global soccer body said yesterday.China’s matches against Maldives at home and Guam away have already been moved to Buriram, Thailand, and will be played behind closed doors.However, more than two dozen other matches are scheduled to be played around the continent over two match days on March 26 and 31.“A formal proposal to postpone upcoming matches in the Asian FIFA World Cup 2022 and the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers will now be shared with the relevant member associations,” said FIFA in a statement.“For both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the well-being and health of all individuals involved in football matches remains the highest priority,” it added.FIFA said it would provide an update following consultations with the national associations and would continue to monitor the situation in cooperation with the World Health Organisation. (WHO)
(REUTERS) – THE Premier League said on Tuesday that six people from three different clubs had tested positive for COVID-19 out of a sample of 748 individuals.The novel coronavirus tests were taken on Sunday and Monday, ahead of the return to small group training.“Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days,” the league said in a statement.“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public in this way after each round of testing.”Watford later announced that three people, including one player had tested positive for the virus and all three would self-isolate for seven days in line with Premier League guidelines.Burnley said that their assistant coach Ian Woan was among those to give a positive result after being tested on Sunday.“In line with strict Premier League requirements and following a positive test, Ian will now self-isolate for a period of seven days, with a view to being tested again week commencing Monday, May 25,” said Burnley’s statement.“Ian is asymptomatic and is currently safe and well at home. He will remain in close communication with club personnel regarding his re-engagement in training once he is clear of the virus.”On Monday, the Premier League voted to allow clubs to begin small group, non-contact training with some clubs returning on Tuesday.The league will decide early next week when to allow contact training as it looks for a June restart to the season which was halted on March 13.On Saturday, Germany’s top-flight became the first major European league to return to action.The Bundesliga returned 10 positives out of 1 700 tests, on May 4, ahead of its return to training.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold continues to rack up silverware after a breakout rookie season, this time being named first-team Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America on Monday.Darnold adds the accolade to his Rose Bowl offensive MVP, Archie Griffin Award and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honor. He is the second USC signal-caller in history to be named to the team after Todd Marinovich in 1989.During a season that catapulted the 19-year-old into national relevance, Darnold racked up more than 3,000 passing yards to go with 31 touchdowns (and just 9 interceptions). His historic Rose Bowl performance was the cherry on top, as he threw for five scores and accounted for nearly 500 yards of offense. He didn’t throw a single incompletion as he led the fierce Trojan comeback in the fourth quarter.The FWAA also selected head coach Clay Helton as the First Year Co-Coach of the Year alongside Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuentes. Helton’s job security was under scrutiny after USC’s slow start to its 2016 campaign, but a nine-game winning streak to end the season (USC’s longest since 2008-09) put all doubts to rest.Achieving a famous Trojan trifecta for just the 13th time in the program’s history, Helton led his squad to wins over UCLA and Notre Dame this fall in addition to their Rose Bowl victory.Helton also coached his team to wins over both eventual Pac-12 finalists, Colorado and Washington — the latter of which was later selected to the College Football Playoff. In addition to his first-year coaching honors, Helton is a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award, which will be handed out on Wednesday.
Andrew Heaney said his bullpen session on Friday went well. It was Heaney’s second session since being sidelined with elbow inflammation. Heaney is working toward a rehab game in the minors before he can join the Angels rotation. …Scioscia’s reliever use in Thursday’s opener would seem to indicate that he’s beginning the year with Blake Parker as his preferred closer. He used Cam Bedrosian in the seventh and Jim Johnson in the ninth with the score tied. However, Scioscia would not commit to Parker. “It’s going to be fluid,” he said. …Johnson was greeted by loud boos when he took the mound at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday. He said the got the same treatment the last time he pitched in Oakland, apparently because the fans remember his 7.14 ERA with the A’s in 2014. “It won’t be the last time,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m fine with it.” Johnson pitched a perfect inning. …Two Angels’ employees wore A’s uniforms before Friday’s game, part of a celebration of the 50 greatest A’s. Mike Gallego is the Angels’ director of player development, and Eric Chavez is a special assistant to the GM. “I warned Scioscia,” Gallego quipped, wearing the A’s jersey. “He said it was OK.” Now, thanks in part to an infusion of better prospects, Ward has dropped just out of the top 10 prospects.Ward has a .272 average and a .366 on-base percentage in his career in the minors. His .375 slugging percentage likely needs to improve if he’s going to be in the big leagues as a corner infielder, although many players develop power later.Eppler suggested the position move could help Ward reach the majors sooner, because now he will no longer have to deal with handling pitchers. Ward is likely to begin this season at Double-A.“Basically now he’s responsible for himself, his defense, his offense,” Eppler said. “I think he will focus on defense and go from there.”ALSOIan Kinsler, who had missed opening day with groin tightness, was in in the lineup for his Angels debut on Friday. Manager Mike Scioscia said Kinsler would likely get Saturday off, as they try to work him back in gradually. … OAKLAND — Taylor Ward, once one of the Angels’ top prospects as a catcher, is now a third baseman.Although Ward was in big league camp this spring as a catcher, he was moved to third base full time after getting sent to minor league game, General Manager Billy Eppler said on Friday.“Athletically, how he profiles is very similar to some of our high-end position players, so we feel that’s where he profiles the best,” Eppler said.Ward, 24, was the Angels’ top pick in the 2015 draft. At the time, they projected him as an above-average defensive catcher with potential to also have an offensive impact.
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Nebraska coach Scott Frost wasn’t afraid to take the next step — and perhaps the step after that. Amid reports that the Big Ten was leaning toward canceling the 2020 football season this fall, Frost tossed out what that could mean for Nebraska during Monday’s press conference. It’s fun to think about in passing. Imagine Nebraska returning to the Big 12 for one season and rekindling those rivalries with Oklahoma and Texas. How about a one-year rental in the SEC with an opener against Tennessee — the team Frost capped his college career against. Frost put that next step in Nebraska fans’ minds, and that’s why those words are significant. The “other options” likely are not feasible at this point, but the implication should not be lost on the Big Ten or Nebraska. The Big Ten still has not made a decision about the 2020 season, but Nebraska clearly has. The Huskers want to play, no matter the context. It’s important to put that out there word for word so no context is lost. “We want to play a Big Ten schedule,” Frost said. “I hope that’s what happens. Our university is committed to playing no matter what — no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or no matter where it is. We’ll see how those chips fall. We certainly hope it’s in the Big Ten. If it isn’t, I think we’re prepared to look for other options.” “Our University is committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is.”#Huskers HC Scott Frost on opponents for 2020. pic.twitter.com/kTPN9znv0v— Husker Sports (@HuskerSports) August 10, 2020That is a loaded quote on multiple levels. MORE: Donald Trump, GOP leaders call for college football to be played as scheduledNebraska is putting pressure on the Big Ten decision makers, who reportedly were leaning toward canceling the season Sunday night. The Huskers are setting the trend for any Power 5 program that wants to play if their conference is not available. Frost went there. It’s a bold statement considering the college football landscape in the second week of August amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Will it affect the Big Ten’s decision-making process? Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and the university presidents already are getting that from the top two revenue producers in the conference, Ohio State and Michigan. Nebraska — which played its first season in the conference in 2011 — doesn’t carry the same voice within the conference. The Huskers are not the same superpower they were in the 1990s; Frost is 9-15 the past two seasons at his alma mater and the program ranked seventh among Big Ten schools in revenue generated in 2018-19. That does not mean Frost’s comments are any less significant. After all, Nebraska is ranked No. 21 in revenue, and that is one spot ahead of Clemson, which has played in the College Football Playoff each of the past five seasons. It suggests an alignment with athletic director Bill Moos that Nebraska — a state with fewer than 30,000 reported COVID-19 cases — is willing to seek other alternatives if the Big Ten cannot go in 2020. Of course, those motivations are financial. Frost says “let’s skip past” all the economic fallout and consider, “If we cancel football tomorrow, we’re throwing up white flag and saying ‘this can’t be done.’ … The virus is going to be here whether we play football or not.”— Parker Gabriel (@HuskerExtraPG) August 10, 2020This also comes on the same day that Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse — a former university president — sent a letter to the Big Ten presidents detailing the reasons why the Huskers should play. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has drafted a letter that he plans to send to Big Ten presidents, identifying reasons why he believes college football should be played.@SINow obtained a copy.Sasse is a former university president. pic.twitter.com/xrpRjiWREf— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 10, 2020That sets up an interesting potential showdown if the Big Ten cancels the season. Can Nebraska leave the conference for one season? That seems like a losing legal battle, but we’re in a college football world where Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in 2020. We didn’t think that would happen either. Frost’s comments show that Nebraska does not have undying loyalty to its membership with the Big Ten. Remember, Frost is the same player who led Nebraska — then in the Big 12 — to a split national championship with Michigan, the Big Ten champion, in 1998. Frost is the same coach who led UCF to an undefeated season in 2017 and attacked the College Football Playoff structure afterward. He has never been short on offering bold opinions, and “other options” falls under that category. 
20190507_084505 MASON CITY — The new River City Sculptures on Parade exhibit is being installed today in downtown Mason City. 21 artists with 54 sculptures are a part of this year’s exhibit along a nearly two-mile path that starts on West State Street in front of Principal Financial, winding its way through downtown and the Cultural Crescent area before finishing in Central Park.One of the original six participants in the first exhibit has returned for the first time in seven years and says she’s happy to see how the program has flourished. Deb Zeller has her studio in Hopkins Minnesota and took some time off from sculpting after reconstructive foot surgery. She’s amazed to see how much the Sculptures on Parade has grown. “I cannot believe how many sculptures are here now, how many are permanently here. It’s so heartwarming to artists to see a community come together like this and make it really thrive. I think this might be maybe the second largest sculpture on display that I know of anyway and it hasn’t been that many years so it’s incredible growth and progress.”Zeller says exhibits like this adds vibrance to a community. “It’s so fun, this morning we’ve been just walking around, and people with their kids are out and they’re interacting with the sculptors, and that’s a win when the community is interacting.”Zeller’s sculpture is on the side of the Brick Furniture building and it’s called Parental Love. She says it was originally commissioned for Oakland Cemetery in Hutchison Minnesota. “It represents unfortunately a small child who is deceased and the parent, which is abstractly represented for this particular sculpture, and I usually do very representational art, but this one is abstracted so that the parent could be the dad or the mom you don’t know, it’s the parent. The arms are abstracted to be this fluid heart, because the parents’ heart is always going to be with that child. At the top of the heart is the small head of the child, looking back down at the love of that parent.”Brochures detailing this year’s Sculptures on Parade exhibit are in the process of being printed and will be placed in racks in time for the North Iowa Band Festival on Memorial Day weekend.
DES MOINES — Michael Richards of West Des Moines was elected to another term Wednesday as president of the board which oversees the three state universities.Richards then talked a little about the issues the Board of Regents has faced during the coronavirus outbreak.“Please know that the decisions we have made are in keeping with the health and safety of our students faculty and staff as our top priority,” Richards says.He says the decisions they have made will help the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University continue to exist for a long time. “Even though we have had our spring and summer sessions disrupted by the pandemic — we will eventually get through the crisis,” he says.Richards says they will get everyone back to campus when they can. “I want everyone to know that we are planning on a full normal operation of our universities for the fall of 2020 semester. This includes in-person classes, re-opening of the residence halls, food service, and other campus services,” according to Richards.Richards, who is a retired medical doctor and businessman, was elected to another two-year term as president during an online meeting.
The search is on to find England’s Golf Volunteers of the Year – the unsung heroes who give up their time to inspire others to take up and enjoy golf. The England Golf Partnership (EGP) is seeking nominations for its annual awards, which celebrate the golf volunteers who support new and emerging players. The winners will be volunteers who contribute within golf clubs, schools, county golf partnerships, training schemes and many other programmes. To put forward a volunteer visit www.golfvolunteers.org and complete the easy-to-follow nomination form. The closing date is 13th December 2013. The awards will be presented at a national conference next spring. There are seven different volunteer award categories which take in age groups, volunteer coaching, those involved in club and county development, and lifetime achievers. Previous winners include • Kevin Whalley of Hertfordshire, who has been profoundly deaf from birth and has made a tremendous contribution to deaf golf, both in England and around the world. • Jim Pocknell of Kent, who went on to carry the Olympic flame for golf • Charlotte Stanton of Staffordshire (pictured) who has helped encourage a massive growth in student golf and now works as the Middlesex County Development Officer • Bev Dodd of Lancashire, a volunteer coach who is passionate about the game Phil Beard, the EGP’s Volunteer Manager, said: “Golf’s volunteers willingly give up their time and work tirelessly to help players of all ages to get the most out of the game. This is our chance to recognise and thank them for all they do.” The award categories are: Young Golf Volunteer of the year under18 Golf Volunteer of the year 18 – 25 Golf Volunteer Coach of the year Club Development Golf Club volunteer of the year County Development Golf County volunteer of the year Services to golf / life time achievement (male) Services to golf / life time achievement (female) For more information and to make a nomination visit www.golfvolunteers.org 10 Sep 2013 Search starts for England’s Golf Volunteers of the Year 
In this Dec. 7, 2013 file photo, Florida State’s Jameis Winston celebrates after defeating Duke 45-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C.The NCAA board of directors will vote Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, on a proposal that would give the five wealthiest college football conferences the ability to make rules and pass legislation without the approval of the rest of Division I schools. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The biggest schools in college sports are about to get a chance to make their own rules.Up first is likely finding a way to spend millions of dollars in new money — either in the form or stipends or fatter scholarships — on athletes across the country.The NCAA Board of Directors voted 16-2 on Thursday to approve a historic package of changes that allows the five richest football conferences — the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC — to unilaterally change some of the rules that have applied to all Division I schools for years. The 65 universities in those leagues will also benefit from a new, weighted voting system on legislation covering the 350 schools in Division I.“It does provide degrees of autonomy for the five high-resource conferences,” said Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch, the board chairman and a key architect of the plan. “This is not complete autonomy. We’re still part of Division I, but I think it allows us to provide more benefits to student-athletes.”A handful of university presidents who spoke at NCAA headquarters after the vote agreed on one thing: Paying athletes to play is off the table. And it’s very unlikely that the five leagues will design their own policies when it comes to infractions.But there’s a good chance the five leagues will take steps to add money to scholarships or craft an athlete stipend intended to help cover the so-called full cost of attending college — costs beyond tuition, room and board and books and supplies. That will be millions more in spending by leagues that are already partners in multimillion-dollar TV contracts to show off their top sports of football and basketball, raising fresh concerns about an arms race in college athletics.It is certainly a dramatic new start for an organization that has come under increasing criticism.Already this year, the NCAA has agreed to settle two lawsuits for a combined $90 million and still awaits a judge’s decision on a federal lawsuit in which plaintiffs led by Ed O’Bannon have argued college sports’ amateurism rules are anti-competitive and allow the organization to operate as an illegal cartel. Also pending is a decision by the National Labor Relations Board on whether Northwestern football players can form what would be the first union for college athletes in U.S. history.While NCAA leaders acknowledge the new system may not quash every legal case or argument, those who helped draft this proposal believe it will give prominent schools greater leeway in addressing the amateurism model and other concerns.“I think we sometimes have to go back to why do people file lawsuits?” said Kansas State President Kirk Schulz, who worked on the plan. “It’s because they can’t get the action they want. It (autonomy) is going to help with some things, not all.”The power conferences contend they need more flexibility to solve the day’s hottest controversies, including recruiting and health insurance, and complained long and loud over the past two years that change was critically important.If the decision survives a 60-day override period, the transition to the new system could begin in January. Commissioners and school leaders from the power conferences have until Oct. 1 to create a wish list of areas where they want autonomy.Any items that make the list would require majority approval from one of the five leagues and still will need the OK of at least 12 of the 20 presidents or chancellors on the expanded board of directors. Then, one representative from each of the 65 schools in the power-five leagues and three student-athletes from each conference would vote on each item. Passage would require 48 of the 80 votes and a simple majority of support from schools in at least three of the five conferences or a simple majority of all votes (41) and a simple majority from schools in four of the five leagues to pass.NCAA President Mark Emmert also said the board could veto an autonomous rule change if it goes too far. He described that situation as “rare.”The No. 1 priority heading into October is expanding scholarships to cover up to the full cost of attendance. Legislation to give athletes an additional $2,000 to cover college expenses was approved by the board in October 2011 but was overridden later after complaints from smaller schools, spurring the effort to pass the autonomy reforms.South Carolina President Harris Pastides also said he will support limitations on practice times and contact in football workouts. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wants to provide better counseling for athletes who are contemplating turning pro and helping those who do turn pro and later return to school.The big question now is whether another override movement could derail the changes. If 75 schools sign the override measure, the board must take a second look at the plan. If 125 schools oppose the plan, it would be suspended until the board schedules a vote to reconsider.“I think the process has been so inclusive and thoughtful that no one will be surprised with this outcome today,” Emmert said when asked if he worried about an override. “That doesn’t mean everyone agrees with it. But I think as people learn more about it, come to understand it, they will be more supportive. The more you look at it, the better it gets, I think.”The new system gives the five richest leagues nearly twice as much voting power (37.5 percent) as any other group on the new council, where most legislation will be approved or rejected. The five other Football Bowl Subdivision leagues would account for 18.8 percent while the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision and non-football playing schools would split up another 37.5 percent of the vote. Athletes and faculty will account for the rest.Critics worry that the impact will create an even greater split between wealthy leagues and everyone else in the college athletics’ arms race.“I think it’s going to be great for those five conferences and that’s about it,” said Gerald Gurney, president of The Drake Group, an NCAA watchdog. “I don’t think it’s going to be a good step for non-revenue sports or for Title IX. We are going to get into a new phase of competition, and there will be no holds barred.”Boise State President Bob Kustra, a most vocal critic, called for an override and said autonomy is a step toward professionalism.“No president within Division I should be in favor of these changes,” he said in a statement.Even some of those who helped draft the legislation, such as Rice President David Leebron, said they do worry about the widening gap between haves and have-nots.But they also want a chance to adopt some of the rules from the new NCAA power brokers, too.“I think that’s important to examine,” said Wright State President David Hopkins, whose school plays in the Horizon League. “At least we want to have the opportunity to work and choose what we decide (on the autonomous issues).”___Online:NCAA reforms: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/board-adopts-new-division-i-structure