Ambergris Caye’s football club, the San Pedro Pirates F.C. informed their fans on Thursday, December 13th via their Facebook page that they will not participate in next year’s season of the Premier League of Belize (PLB). The announcement was made after the team fell short against Verdes F.C., and did not advance to PLB’s finals this year. The team’s management indicated that due to the lack of sponsorship and support in San Pedro, they cannot afford to continue existing as a body and thus, will not participate in the upcoming PLB season.
The announcement on their social media account commended the team’s players efforts and thanked their fans. The management also thanked their sponsors, Travellers Liquors and Belize Pro Dive Center. “Unfortunately, we will not be in the Premier League of Belize next season. The reason being that there is no support for sports in San Pedro,” said the post.
The San Pedro Sun tried to contact San Pedro Pirates’ owner Emiliano Rivero, but he was not available for comment. Speaking on behalf of the football club was its manager, San Pedro Town Council’s Sports Councilor Hector ‘Tito’ Alamilla. He confirmed that Rivero was resigning the team from PLB, but that if anyone would take on the team, the national league would support them. Alamilla later added that there are people who want to cooperate with the team and return a competitive football team to PLB. “That is all up to the owner to make this happen,” he said. “This has been the best team ever representing the island. They qualified to the semi-finals, this team should stay together to go to the championship next time.”
The island’s young team was formed in 2017 and adopted the Ambergris Stadium as its grounds and home. The football club was founded as an independent non-profit organization in the interest of promoting professional football among San Pedro’s youth. The San Pedro Pirates competed for the first time in the 2017-2018 edition of the PLB, where they did well, ending the season in the top five.
It is uncertain at the moment when and if the San Pedro Pirates will go back to the PLB. The San Pedro Sun will continue keeping the sporting community informed on this matter.
