Organisers of Kappa Classic have secured Devonshire Recreation Club as an additional venue for some matches, with the tournament kicking off tonight at 6pm.

With only North Field available and Flora Duffy Stadium out of bounds because of the international women’s match between Bermuda and Grenada on Saturday, organisers considered scrapping some of the age groups, according to event chairman Tony Hunter.

“We’re starting on Wednesday for the under-13s and the under-15s at Devonshire Rec,” Hunter told The Royal Gazette.

“I would like to thank Devonshire Rec. They were there to help us out when we needed the help. If they didn’t extend that field to us, we probably couldn’t have had the age groups for the under-13s and under-15s.

“We just didn’t have the timeline because we don’t have access to South Field due to the Fifa game on Saturday.

“Devonshire Rec president Kwame Steede was very helpful and he helped to plan this event with the club members.

“Thursday will be the kick-off for the under-7s, under-9s and under-11s at North Field. That will be the same for Friday and Saturday, then Sunday we go into the knockout stage of the tournament.

“We only have access to North Field from 9am to 3pm on Saturday because of the international game starting at 7pm. On Sunday, the under-13s and 15s will transition over to the National Sports Centre. Because a lot of the teams will be eliminated at that point, we can manage.”

According to Hunter, there has been a slight growth in the number of participating teams. Additionally FC Bascome, who withdrew last year, and Vasco under-15s, who were thrown out, are participating.

“We have 130 teams and more than 1,600 participants, boys and girls,” he said.

“It’s an increase from last year by maybe two teams. Those teams that had some issues last year have returned.”

On steps taken to avoid some of the ugly scenes that marred the event last year, Hunter stated that they were looking to have experienced match officials and beefing up security.

“We’ve tried to get more senior referees involved,” Hunter said.

“We’ve got a big focus on crowd control this year, not only crowd control, but crowd behaviour.

“The Bermuda Police Service are going to be a part of it this year. This is the first time we’ve ever done that because typically we’ve had the fans manage themselves.

“But now, based upon the environment that we live in, we’ve just got to make sure that fans have the necessary things in place that they feel comfortable.

“The Bermuda Police Service are going to be roaming throughout the event at both locations. We also have our own security that’s going to be on site.

“We try to make it a family event and we’ve never charged. Most importantly, we want it to be for the children as this is all about the youth.

“It’s not about the parents. It’s about the children having the opportunity and the stage to display their talent and to meet new friends.

“We learnt something from last year and we’re trying to implement some of the things that we did learn.

“This is so dynamic every year. You look at things where you feel like you can improve on, some things that you feel like you’re good with and that you don’t change.”

There has been a change in terms of the main sponsor, with Belco taking over from the BAC Group.

“Belco is our platinum sponsor,” Hunter said.

“We obviously appreciate any sponsorship that we get because the cost of putting on this event is significant. So Belco stepped up and they honoured us with their sponsorship.

“We look forward to having the Kappa Classic and it’s our 26th edition. We’re trying to sustain it, but the most important thing for us is sponsorship as without that, we can’t carry this burden.

“Because it’s a huge financial burden when you look at it. Five days of football, National Sports Centre, private security, police and all the other things that go along with it. When you look at the financial side of it, it just adds up, so sponsorship is really appreciated.

“We just have to keep making sure that we have that element of people wanting to be a part of this, corporate Bermuda.

“Our silver sponsors are the Department of Sport and Recreation. Allied World, Axa XL, Belvin’s Variety, Butterfield & Vallis, Chubb, Dunkley’s Dairy, Everen Group, Harneys, John Barritt & Son and Northshore Medical & Aesthetics Centre are our bronze sponsors.

“We also have our tournament patrons., Bermuda Sport Anti-Doping Authority, Bermuda Healthcare Services, Orbis Investment Management and Fire & Slice.”

For the benefit of those who cannot make it to the venues, matches will be livestreamed.

“We also have a livestream going on this year,” the event chairman said.

“For seniors or individuals that don’t have the ability to come out to the tournament, at least they have a chance to maybe see their grandchildren or their nieces and nephews.”

Off the field, a number of activities will be taking place, including promotion of football legend Clyde Best’s documentary, which premieres on the island from April 21 to 26.

“We also have an education corner facilitated by Neil Speight and we have seven boarding schools coming in from the UK,” Hunter said.

“We’re excited about getting Bermuda College and Somersfield Academy involved as well. We also have a football camp that’s actually run by someone that used to be a part of the Kappa Classic. His name is Remy Coddington.

“We’re also going to have some representation from the Clyde Best movie. The promoter is going to be down here. Obviously, we’re going to give a good shout out to Clyde Best and try to promote the movie within the football family.”