Sint Maarten national football team

Sint Maarten

Association	Sint Maarten Soccer Association
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America, Central America, Caribbean)
Sub-confederation	CFU (Caribbean)
Head coach	Ronny Wadilie
Captain	Kevin Dekkers
Most caps	Peter Large (9)
Top scorer	Joost Röben (2) [nb 1]
Home stadium	Raoul Illidge Sports Complex
FIFA code	SXM
First colours Second colours
Elo ranking
Current	182 (19 March 2016)[1]
Highest	137 (April 1993)
Lowest	182 (March 2016)
First international
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6–1 Sint Maarten (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 23 April 1989)
Biggest win
Sint Maarten 4–0 Anguilla (Saint Kitts and Nevis; 29 March 1996)
Biggest defeat
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6—1 Sint Maarten (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; 23 April 1989) Cayman Islands 5–0 Sint Maarten (Cayman Islands; 4 March 1994) Grenada 5–0 Sint Maarten (St. George's, Grenada; 22 March 2016)
Caribbean Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1993)
Best result	Group Stage; 1993

The Sint Maarten national football team is the football team of Sint Maarten, the Dutch half of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, and is controlled by the Sint Maarten Soccer Association. Sint Maarten is not a member of FIFA, and is therefore not eligible to enter the World Cup. However, the association plans to apply for FIFA membership in 2016.^[2] In 2002, the Sint Maarten Soccer Association was given associate membership in CONCACAF and became full members at the XXVIII Ordinary Congress in April 2013^[3][4] after becoming an independent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands after the Netherland Antillies was dissolved in 2010.^[5] They are also members of the Caribbean Football Union^[6] and first took part in the Caribbean Cup in its inaugural edition in 1989.^[7]

History

From 1992 to 2016, the team had played approximately only 25 official matches.^[8] Between 2000 and 2016, only one match had been played, an unofficial 2–2 draw at home to Sint Eustatius on 20 August 2004.^[9] In 2012, SMSA President Owen Nickie stated that the national team's inactivity was due to a lack of needed improvements on their home stadium. He indicated that not having enough players to choose from had also prevented the team from competing in the past but that they had more than enough players at that time. At that time, the association discussed hosting the Leeward Islands Tournament and participating in 2012 Caribbean Cup qualification as two of its objectives for the year. Nickie described not entering a team in the Caribbean Cup in the past as "unfortunate".^[10] In August 2014, Sint Maarten was set to co-host the Leeward Islands Tournament which had been dormant at that time for over ten years.^[11] However, the tournament was postponed after Sint Maarten withdrew as host because of difficulties with the newly installed lights at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex and Anguilla, the other host, withdrew for unspecified reasons. One report also indicated that the hosts withdrew because of an "inability to facilitate teams."^[12] In May 2015, a match was organized by the SMSA as a showcase for selecting a national team player pool. It was open to all players with a Dutch passport.^[13] Although Sint Maarten's senior team was dormant, a youth selection participated in the inaugural CONCACAF Under-15 Championship in August 2013^[14] and Sint Maarten co-hosted the 2015 CFU Boy's Under-15 Championship^[15] after the 2015 CONCACAF Under-15 Championship was canceled by CONCACAF for unspecified reasons.^[16]

2017 Caribbean Cup

Sint Maarten returned to international football in 2016, entering 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification and being drawn into Group 2 along with Grenada and the US Virgin Islands with the first round matches taking place on March 22 and March 26, 2016.^[17] Sint Maarten had been absent from senior CFU competition for nineteen years as they entered the tournament.^[18][19] In January 2016 it was announced that Sint Maarten's squad for 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification would be composed solely of players from Flames United SC,^[20] reigning champions from the 2014/2015 Senior league competitions and the champions of the 2012/2013 Excellence Division between the islands of Sint Maarten, Saint Martin and St. Barths.^[21] However, shortly thereafter it was reported that the previous report was inaccurate and that Flames United would actually be competing in the CFU Club Championship.^[20] Sint Maarten played its first senior men's international in 12 years on 13 March 2016 as it hosted a 2–0 home victory against Anguilla as part of each side's preparation for 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification. Both of Sint Maarten's goals were scored by Joost Röben.^[22] In the first match of the tournament, Sint Maarten held Grenada to a scoreless draw in the first half which saw two of Sint Maarten's starters sustain injuries.^[23] It was later revealed that Raymond Wolff had sustained a broken rib before coming off in the first half while fellow-Dutchman Rick De Punder was credited with an own goal.^[24] Grenada scored five goals in the second half to secure the 5–0 victory. Sint Maarten arrived on Grenada for the 8pm match at 4pm after the funds for the team airfare, paid for by the CFU, did not reach the airline in time and no seats were available. SMSA President Johnny Singh thought that the team would not be able to compete but another flight was arranged in time. The same scenario occurred for the return flight but the team was expected to be home on the Thursday prior to the team's match against USVI on Saturday.^[23] Sint Maarten went on to lose the match to USVI 1–2, ending the team's qualifying campaign. Sint Maarten's only goal was scored by Ramsleii Boelijn.^[25]

Stadium

Raoul Illidge Sports Complex

Location	Welgelegen Road[26] Philipsburg, Sint Maarten[27]
Capacity	3,000[26]
Surface	artificial turf[28]
Construction
Opened	1987[27]
Renovated	2013[28]
Construction cost	ƒ3,000,000[27]
Architect	MNO Vervat St. Maarten (renovation)[28]
Tenants
Sint Maarten national teams SMSA clubs

Sint Maarten plays its home matches at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex in Philipsburg. The stadium has a capacity of 3,000 spectators. It is named after Raoul Illidge, a local philanthropist who laid the groundwork and covered many expenses in the planning of the stadium as part of his support for sport and culture on the island. Unsolicited, he contributed nearly ƒ800,000 for the project.^[27] After falling into disrepair, the complex was temporarily closed for renovation in July 2013. The two-part renovation included installation of a new running track, drainage system, and artificial turf, repainting of lighting poles and installation of new, brighter lights, in addition to a renovation of the complex's buildings.^[28] The renovation costs were financed by the Dutch funding agency Usona and the Sint Maarten government. The international sports park was official reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs Patricia Lourens-Phillip on 7 March 2014.^[29][30]

Competition history

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Sint Maarten never reached the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but played in the qualifications in for the 1993, 1996 and 1998 Gold Cups.

CONCACAF Gold Cup
Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1991	Did not enter
1993	Did not qualify
1996	Did not qualify
1998	Did not qualify
2000	Withdrew
2002	Did not enter
2003	Did not enter
2005	Withdrew
2007	Did not enter
2009	Did not enter
2011	Did not enter
2013	Did not enter
2015	Did not enter
2017	Did not qualify
Total	0 Titles	0	0	0	0	0	0

Caribbean Cup

Year	Round	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1989	Qualifying	4	0	0	4	3	20
1990	Did not enter
1991	Did not enter
1992	Qualifying	2	1	1	0	5	3
1993[nb 2]	Group stage	5	2	1	2	4	7
1994	Qualifying	3	1	0	2	5	9
1995	Qualifying	2	1	0	1	1	2
1996	Qualifying	2	1	0	1	4	3
1997	Qualifying	3	2	0	1	6	3
1998	Did not enter
1999	Withdrew
2001	Did not enter
2005	Withdrew
2007	Did not enter
2008	Did not enter
2010	Did not enter
2012	Did not enter
2014	Did not enter
2017	Qualifying	2	0	0	2	1	7
Total	0/17	21	8	2	11	28	47

Fixtures and results

Sint Maarten v  Anguilla

March 13, 2016 Friendly	Sint Maarten	2–0	Anguilla	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
	Röben  5', 45'	Report		Stadium: Raoul Illidge Sports Complex

Grenada  v Sint Maarten

March 22, 2016 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Grenada	5–0	Sint Maarten	St. George's, Grenada
7:30 UTC-4	J. Rennie  52' (pen.) Charles  54' De Punder  56' (o.g.) John-Brown  67' S. Rennie  87'	Report		Stadium: Grenada National Stadium

Sint Maarten v  U.S. Virgin Islands

March 26, 2016 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification	Sint Maarten	1–2	U.S. Virgin Islands	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
	Boelijn  89'	Report	Herring  24' Wrensford  70'	Stadium: Raoul Illidge Sports Complex

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly against Anguilla on 13 March 2016 and 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification.^[31] Caps and goals as of 22 March 2016 after the game against Grenada.

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	MF	Samir Acharrat	27 September 1981	1	0
5	DF	Jovani Anthony	11 June 1989	2	0
2	DF	Ramsleii Boelijn		1	0
	MF	Darryl Caines	28 April 1990	2	0
	MF	Donald Carty	12 February 1989	2	0
	MF	Leonardo Chayadi		1	0
7	MF	Kevin Dekkers (c)		2	0
8	DF	Rick de Punder	4 September 1986	1	0
	FW	Yannick Dinane	13 August 1998	1	0
4	DF	Djai Essed	25 April 1998	2	0	Feather River Golden Eagles
	MF	Don Ferdinand		1	0
	MF	Stanlei Ferdinand	18 February 1997	1	0
	MF	Yvenson Guy		1	0
3	MF	Andre Knol	20 September 2000	1	0	MPC Stars
18	MF	Waldy Lindeborg	9 December 1982	2	0
	MF	Jason Lindo		0	0
11	FW	Brandon Potmis	6 November 1998	2	0
3	MF	Adrian Providence		2	0
9	FW	Joost Röben		2	2
1	GK	Jean Philip Sylveste		2	0
10	MF	Raymond Wolff	30 January 1987	2	0	RISC Takers FC

All-time record

As of 22 March 2016^[8]

Opponents	Matches	Win	Draw	Loss	GF	GA
Anguilla	4	4	0	0	10	0
Antigua and Barbuda	3	1	0	2	3	7
British Virgin Islands	3	2	1	0	6	2
Cayman Islands	2	1	0	1	4	7
Dominica	2	0	1	1	2	4
Grenada	1	0	0	1	0	5
Jamaica	2	0	0	2	2	5
Martinique	1	0	1	0	1	1
Puerto Rico	1	0	0	1	0	3
Saint Kitts and Nevis	4	1	1	2	3	7
U.S. Virgin Islands	1	0	0	1	1	2

Footnotes

1. leading scorer since the team was revived in March 2016 following a 12-year absence from men's senior internationals
2. Includes both qualifying and final round matches

References

1. "ELO Ratings: Sint Maarten". ELO. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
2. "The Daily Herald's 2015 Sports Person of the Year". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
3. "CONCACAF applauds Sint Maarten advancement". CONCACAF. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
4. "CONCACAF profile". CONCACAF. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
5. Smith, Natanga. "Dutch Curacao, St Maarten now independent". Nation News. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
6. "CFU profile". Caribbean Football Union. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
7. "Shell Football Cup to kick off April 1989". Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
8. "(Dutch) Sint Maarten – List of International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
9. "CFD profile". Caribbean Football Database. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
10. "Sports: Nickey: "We have to restrict abuse of field"". Today SXM. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
11. "Return of Leeward Islands Football Competition". SKN Vibes. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
12. Baptiste, Neto. "Leeward Islands Tournament postponed". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
13. "Soccer Association National Team". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
14. "Player Profiles". CONCACAF. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
15. Nicholson, Paul. "CFU step in to fill U15 tournament gap in St Maarten and Anguilla". insideworldfootball.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
16. "CONCACAF cancels Under-15 Boys' Championship". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
17. "2016 Scotia Bank CFU Caribbean Cup Groupings". Caribbean Football Union. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
18. "CFD Tweet". Caribbean Football Database. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
19. "Draw sets Caribbean's road to 2017 Gold Cup". CONCACAF. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
20. "SMSA represented at the CFU Men's Caribbean Cup Draw in Antigua". soualiganewsday.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
21. "St. Maarten draws US Virgin Islands, Grenada in first round Caribbean Cup". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
22. "Sint Maarten and Martinique win friendlies". Caribbean Football Union. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
23. "Team St. Maarten hoping to be home in time for game". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
24. Minnaard, Mitchell. "Wolff een gebroken rib, De Punder een eigen doelpunt als aandenken". PZC. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
25. "Caribbean Cup Recap: March 26, 2016 Matches". CONCACAF. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
26. "Stadium: Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
27. "Official opening of the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex and Max Phelipa Zoological Gardens.". TBF. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
28. "Football Field and Running Track at Raoul Illidge Sports Complex Temporarily Closed Off as of Monday.". Sint Maarten News Network. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
29. "Appreciation for renovation of Raoul Illidge Sports Complex". Sint Maarten Today. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
30. Lourens Philip, Patricia. "Minister Patricia Lourens-Philip Speech Raoul Illidge Sports Complex". Sint Maarten Government. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
31. "Sint Maarten vs. Anguilla". Caribbean Football Database. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

External links

• CONCACAF profile
• CFU profile
• Caribbean Football Database profile
• National Football Teams profile