We've been reporting regularly on the Belize National Football Team's performances in the friendly matches while preparing for the Gold Cup.
The glimpses we've provided are of the only of the players in action, and from a far distance away. So today, the Football Federation of Belize decided that it was time for the Nation to meet the selection which will represent Belize in the US three weeks from now.
They also unveiled the uniforms which have been provided by NIKE. Here's how that unveiling went:
Marlon Kuylen - Executive Member, FFB
"We have the official Belize Jaguar's logo and as you look behind us it's on this banner here so that will be on all of our promotional items. Genesis Arts had come up with this design and they will be selling promotional items which we have in the back here, which we have, and each item that they sell - 15% of the proceeds will come to the National Team. Now we're proud to come to one of the items that we've been patiently waiting for and patiently introduced to the Belizean public. We have been in talks with Nike about sponsoring our National Team's - their headquarters is in Portland, Oregon where we will be playing USA in our first match. So when we go up there we have a meeting set with them to come fully on board to sponsor all our National Teams.
In the meantime they've been kind enough, even though we have not had these official talks and contracts signing and so forth - they have been kind enough to give us the travel and playing uniforms that we will be using at the gold cup. We have the unveiling of our home and away uniforms for the 2013 Gold Cup."
And at that press conference, FFB President, Ruperto Vicente, also announced the change in mentality that everyone associated with the team will now be operating by.
According to him, Belize needs to take itself seriously as a football nation, for the rest of the world to do the same:
Ruperto Vicente - President, FFB
"We are not going to settle for the first round of competition, we will not only participate - this was in the past. Participation is all in the past. We and this nation will not invest its monies in young people who will only go to a tournament to participate. That's in the past gentlemen and Belize. We're now entering tournament to win not just to participate. We are now winners, we were never trained to win in the past but now as we move forward with our football federation, understand that we're now on the winning quest. We are the winning road and you and all of us must develop the winning attitude. We gotta win, we cannot settle for just participation. Other nations must now begin to consider you as serious football players and the nations must also consider Belize as a serious football nation. We have the talent and we must display it - we must show the world that we are capable in competing against the best in the world."
The National Team continues to prepare vigorously for their first match against the US.
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