The Caribbean Diaspora Trial is a two-day talent identification event for Youth Football/Soccer athletes from the ages of 13-16 who are of Caribbean descent.

The Trial is for both boys and girls.

There has never been a better time to showcase North American talent than 2026. The global football/soccer world has never been closer to our front door.

This opportunity will create an upward trajectory for young Caribbean talent within the diaspora to be elevated to the FIFA/CONCACAF international level of competition at an earlier stage of their careers. These events are regularly scouted by both professional clubs and agents across the world looking for talent to sign. Both domestically in North America and abroad.

There is also extra focus at the youth international level with both the Boys and Girls FIFA U-17 World Cups expanding to become a yearly event instead of every 2 years.

After examining the relative logistical, demographic, and sporting data related to the American Caribbean Diaspora, Metro Atlanta is the best launch site for the CDT. The 22 million person population within 4 hours, along with the growing Caribbean population within that radius, became integral to staying the course of our mission to allow for greater opportunity at the FIFA/CONCACAF youth national team level.

We are grateful for Metro Atlanta’s continued support and look forward to this being an annual occurrence in the Southeast.

The Trial will take place at:

Badgett Stadium 3636 College Street, College Park, GA 30337

The timeslots are slated to be as follows:

Boys Under 13 & Under 14: May 18th, 9AM- 1 PM

Boys Under 15 & Under 16: May 18th, 2PM- 6PM

Girls Under 13 & Under 14: May 19th, 9AM- 1PM

Girls Under 15 & Under 16: May 19th, 2PM- 6PM

The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) the FIFA-Affiliated representative organization for football associations in the Caribbean. They are responsible for organizing competitions such the Challengers Series and the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup.

The CFU’s membership includes 25 Full FIFA members and 6 CONCACAF members.

We are extremely honored to have the CFU as an official partner of the Caribbean Diaspora Trial.

We are anticipating attendance from representatives of the following Federations and National Team Youth Setups within the Caribbean Football Union:

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba,

Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda,

Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,

Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica,

French Guiana, Grenada,

Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti,

Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat,

Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,

Saint-Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten,

Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, & U.S. Virgin Islands

This is an amazing opportunity for young trialists to join the national youth setup of their family’s home nation. This would allow them to play at the International level in FIFA & CONCACAF competitions per qualifications.

This can do wonders for a young athlete’s career as they will play in elite competitions for scouting taken place by professional clubs around the world.

This will allow for much more opportunity globally for talent to be showcased against the world’s best along with displaying pride for a family’s nation.

The overall goal of the Caribbean Diaspora Trial is to create opportunity accessibility for young athletes of Caribbean Descent and to let them showcase their talent in front of decision-makers within the national setups of the Federations. The event will follow FIFA Statutes about eligibility to play for representative teams.

To best align with that goal, we STRONGLY recommend that only kids from the age of 13-16 with the eligibility of the above-mentioned nations attend.

Also, this does not jeopardize the chance for an athlete to play for their home nation (ie: An American player who is of Grenada descent is still eligible for the US national team as long as they have played no more than three competitive matches and do not compete in senior-level competitions such as the Gold Cup)

As an example: If an American player is not eligible to play for Canada nor has a viable connection to Canada, would it make sense for the player to attend a national team trial intended for eligible Canadian kids?

For eligibility purposes, we are focused on aligning with current FIFA Statutes and eligibility rules for youth international competitions.

For example: For an Under-15's competition, the cutoff date would be the player's age on or after January, 1 of the given birth year. In this case, a child born in 2010. If the player turns 16 on or after January 1, he/she is eligible for the competition no matter the actual date of the tournament that year.

For the Under 16's the cutoff shall be players born on or after January 1, 2010

For the Under 15's the cutoff shall be players born on or after January 1, 2011

For the Under 14's the cutoff shall be players born on or after January 1, 2012

For the Under 13's the cutoff shall be players born on or after January 1, 2013

Yes, we are currently collaborating with a partner on this matter.

However, we intend on having the video used for evaluation purposes only for Bridge Gap Sports and the national representatives.

The event shall be presented following applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state, or local government agencies or Bridge Gap Sports such requirements may include, without limitation, changes to capacity, attendance procedures, and attendance requirements, such as proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID-19 test, and other protective measures such as requiring attendees to wear face coverings.

If any trialist or attendee does not comply with any laws, mandates, health orders or directives, promoter or event terms, conditions, or rules, then we may refuse admission to the event or require the trialist to leave the venue.

The national representatives will contact the family of the trialist to further discuss involvement in their National Team setup.

In Addition, each nation will have the film to review from the event to incorporate into their decision-making.

Remember, If the call-up does not happen tomorrow, you are now in their system to evaluate your progress as you grow as a player.

Finally, we will send out a survey to get feedback for future events. We want the Caribbean Diaspora Trial to be a great experience for everyone involved and are committed to that mission.