The all-conquering La Clery men’s football team is heading to Trinidad & Tobago this week to represent Saint Lucia in the 2025 Caribbean Football Union Club Shield competition. La Clery qualified for the tournament by winning the inaugural Saint Lucia Semi-Professional Football League title in 2024. They lifted the Island Cup and won their maiden Blackheart title in the same year.
The north Castries team is coached by former professional and former national men’s captain Zaine Pierre, with national goalkeeper Devone St Prix leading a 19-member squad, which includes eight players under the age of 22. Goalscoring talisman Andrus Remy will travel with the team, but in a non-playing capacity. The team is managed by Batiste Haynes.
Drawn in Group A, La Clery will almost certainly have to win both of their group games to advance to the semifinals. Their six-team group includes Haiti’s Capoise, Bonaire’s SV Real Rincon, Puerto Rico’s Academia Quintana, the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Academy Eagles and the United States Virgin Islands’ Rovers.
Because of the Swiss format, however, Saint Lucia’s champions will only play Real Rincon and Campoise. They meet the Bonairian side on Saturday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, and the Haitians on Monday at the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar.
“Preparation started from March and intensified gradually,” said coach Pierre. “During that time, the players worked tirelessly, and [they] are determined to make a solid contribution. It’s unfortunate that some of our signings are still unable to play because the window isn’t open yet, so they can be registered. But apart from that, preparation has been successful.”
This will be the eighth annual edition of the CFU Club Shield, the region’s second-tier international club football competition. Both the winners and the runners-up will qualify to participate in the 2025 CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.
In 2024, BAYS FC represented Saint Lucia in this competition, winning over St Maarten’s SCSA Eagles in the first round, and falling to Curacao’s CRKSV Jong Holland in the second round. Antigua & Barbuda’s Grenades FC made it all the way to the final, where they lost to Arnett Gardens. The Antiguan club featured Saint Lucians Sherman Augustin and Kurt Frederick.
