Sandy Bay’s Juventus Reignites Island’s Football Fever
It all began with Juventus winning the island’s 12 team departmental III division league. “It is the third time we are champions in the departmental league,” says Nelson Solis, who works with the children’s teams in Sandy Bay, with 8, 12, 14 and 18 age groups. “It’s a lot of work to make it into second division.” José Santos Guardiola has its own divisions III league with Pandy Town and Santa Helena having the top teams this year.
2024 was the second time Roatan’s Juventus made it to inter regional finals. After beating CD Sampdoria from Sonaguera, Colón, in the semifinals Juventus now found themselves fighting for the championship of the division II “Zona Norte.” On May 12, Juventus hosted the first game at home. It is the first game against El Carbonal FC of Bonito Oriental. Bonito Oriental, a town of 10,800 people was known as the primary location of Paul Theroux novel “Mosquito Coast.” El Carbonal won the departmental championship of III division in Colón.
After eliminating Sampdoria Juventus, the winner of the Northern Region, faced Cuervos FC of Santa Bárbara, a strong team and the winner for the Western Region. In 2023 Juventus reached the finals as well. They lost at home to San Juan de Santa Bárbara and then tied their remaining games in division III. A year later things were looking similar. Two of its better players were sold off and left the island to a division I team.
Islanders are in line to see better quality football.
On May 26 Juventus, led by coach Herlin Hotta, faced off with Cuervos in a home match in Corozal. The setting of the island stadium was impressive – carved out of a hill, on two of the fields four sides, the long southern and short western side, have steep sides covered with trees and bush.
The fans either have to squeeze in the concrete stands to the north side of the football field, or pull themselves close to the 16 foot high chain foot fence that surrounds the football field. The biggest fans get to the Juventus games early in order to get the best car parking spot. Hours before the match a hundred cars pull up next to the field fence on it eastern side, and spectators sit on tailgates of their trucks while watching the game.
After creating some scoring opportunities Juventus took on a 1:0 lead. In the second half Cuervos counter attacked and after a turn-round volley number 20 scored on Juventus’ goal. A few minutes later, again, Cuervos Number 20 player scored when his shot deflected Juventus defender and went above the Juventus’ goalie.
The Sandy Bay team didn’t give up though. After a corner kick the Juventus’ player sent the ball in the right side of the Cuervos’ goal. The game ended with a 2:2 tie.
Roatan had three teams that made it into division II.
The final match took place in Santa Bárbara on June 1. Two times Cuervos took the lead, and both times Juventus caught up. Juventus was a bit lucky. During the game Cuervos hit the Juventus post four times, but couldn’t convert the shots into more goals. After 90 minutes the match stood at 2:2, went into 30 minute overtime and finally into a penalty shootout. In the last minute of playtime Juventus substitutes their goalie for Jean Medina. Goalie Jean Medina is usually a key player in Juventus matches. After Juventus made five goals, Cuervos was faced with a final penalty kick. The Cuervos player shot over the bar of the net and Juventus won the match and qualified into Division II.
The Sandy Bay’s team qualification is especially impressive, before the tournament two Juventus players left Juventus for Olimpia, Honduras first division team based in Tegucigalpa. Sill the young Juventus team is filled with talented, young players that should grow in skills when II division play begins in August. “They [Juventus] have 20 good players, but they will need to bring on some guys for the second division- one forward, two middle fielders and a goalie,” said Leyland Woods, owner of Arsenal Football team and president of associations “Leyland Woods Categories A”. “They also need good, strong sponsors.” Woods has 14 years experience of managing a division II team.
Since 2003, Roatan had three teams that made it into division II. French Cay’s Arsenal team, founded in 1999, qualified in 2003 and stayed there until 2018. At its height in 2007 Arsenal came within a goal of beating Santa Rosa de Copán Deportes Savio and almost qualified to division I.
Roatan’s football pinnacle overall came in 2017 when French Cay Arsenal and Los Fuertes Dortmund owned by Ray Mayorquin competed in Honduras’ north II Division. Dortmund was sold to Tela, and Arsenal was relegated to division III.
Honduras has a well structured football league. It has 10 teams playing in division I, and 36 teams playing in Division II, also known as “La Liga Nacional de Ascenso.” That league was created in 1965 and reorganized in 1979. Below them is the III division called Liga Mayor de Honduras. That division is subdivided into departments and those are divided into region North and South. A winner of each region goes onto division two.
Because of FIFA pressure that is supposed to change in 2025, when four teams from third divisions III will advance to II division. Also, the number of teams playing in Honduras’ divisions I will increase from 10 to 12.
Currently second division is more static than Honduras’ division I, where one out of ten teams leave the league every year. In Division II, out of the 36 teams two teams descends and one ascends. This will also change in 2025, when a winner of each of Honduras’ division III conferences will ascend to division II.
Once the Julio Galindo stadium stands are finished and covered with artificial grass they should accommodate 800-1000 spectators. The stadiums in Corozal and Sandy Bay, with large enough pitches for divisions II matches, are also in line to receive upgrades courtesy of municipal funds. The Roatan Municipality could expand the Los Fuertes soccer pitch making it FIFA regulation, but that would be an expense of major engineering work on the gulley on the east side of the stadium. It is not on the agenda right now.
