Sport - page 5

More than just a shirt

The football shirt reveal…. The time when a club looks forward to showing off their new shirt design for the upcoming season. Their new work of art. The shirt that the players will wear with pride, and that fans will long to buy. Next to the badge, its the biggest part of a clubs identity used to show off their colours. After a couple of seasons of having a shirt which wasn’t predominantly yellow, it was time to go back to who we are. The Yellows. 

We often see fan made concept kits appearing on social media around the time of new kits being unveiled, and supporters going wild for them. So not wanting to use an ‘off the shelf’ kit, the idea was born to run a competition to give the fans the opportunity to design a kit for Lynx FC, with one being chosen by the committee members to be worn for the 2021/22 season, the designer of which, receiving the shirt as a prize. The standard was incredibly high, with more submissions than we imagined we would get. Many shirts having some subtle details, but each really bringing something to the design. The committee certainly had their work cut out in trying to pick our own favourites, and then finally agreeing on a winner. 

Lynx FC president Jack Noble had this to say about the new shirt:

“We are really excited to reveal our new kit for next season. Blocked largely in yellow, this well and truly takes us back to our Lynx family roots. The black shoulders ghosted with the coat markings of a Lynx, embodies our true fighting spirit. To us, the shirt offers a sense of family, resilience, and strong fighting spirit. We look forward to welcoming you back to the stands with us for the new season. We Live Forever”

The winning design by @theinkredible.munk on Instagram, features a striking pattern on the torso of the shirt, and on the shoulders and sleeves, a representation of the fur of the Lynx cat. For us it was also a must to feature the flag of Gibraltar, and our motto, ‘We Live Forever’, and we feel they absolutely nailed the placement on the shirt. 

He said “It’s truly an amazing feeling to have my design used in such a big way, this is a big motivator to keep designing. I love the fact that I was able to contribute something to the sport I love. I may not be good on the pitch, but I can still say I left my mark on it. As for the design of the shirts, I used the Iberian Lynx as inspiration, which is native to some parts of Europe. I recently found out it is an endangered species, so this can really spread some awareness as well”

We have to say thanks to all those who submitted designs, and as I said before, the quality was extremely high. You never know, we could revisit some of these designs for future seasons.

If you would like to register your interest in purchasing a shirt, please contact the club.

A huge thanks also has to go to Sprint Sports for producing this fantastic shirt for us, we returned to them after they did such an amazing job with our futsal kits!

Lynx FC 2021/2022 season son kicks off with the appointment of a new club secretary as the serving secretary Elaine Rodriguez steps down from her role. (The Lynx family wishes all the best to Elaine for the future and will be eternally grateful for her hard work throughout).   Her position within the club will be taken over by none other than Gianna Parody (daughter of the Clubs owner and Manager Albert Parody), she has been an integral part of the club for a few years always helping out in the background whenever a hand was needed.

Gianna no stranger to the club is currently the women’s team goalkeeper and mother to Tristan Banda who has been playing for the Lynx Jnr setup since the age of 4.

Gianna will be responsible for the day to day work within the club and assist the managerial staff with the administration side of the game.  She is very keen with the junior setup and will be aiding the junior committee to promote the Lynx FC brand within the youth in Gibraltar. Having spoken to her about the Lynx youth setup her response was quite genuine, “having lived it first hand with my son you can see that the club is working hard to develop the children within the sport as well as to work together and a family unit where the children come first then the sport, It is when you see the children enjoy and have fun with what they are doing when they will bring out the best in them and better develop themselves playing the sport.”

From all of us at Lynx FC we would like to wish all the best to Gianna Parody at her new role within the club.

We Live Forever.

If you would like you children to join a football club with their development at heart do not hesitate to contact Jecky Buhagiar (Junior Development Officer) Tel: 57712000 or Club Owner Albert Parody Tel: 58007998.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the British & Irish Lions tours of South Africa were as old as the Drakensberg Mountains themselves. Various shiftings of the sands caused by the COVID pandemic have meant this tour very nearly did not do ahead. That would have been an incredible shame.

The pinnacle of rugby for many Home Nations player is to be picked for this team. The planning and cyclical nature of touring in rugby means that the stars really do have to be aligned before boarding that jet to Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban. This tradition started in 1891 and has also seen fixtures in other parts of the Commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand. A very long heritage indeed.

It is a throwback to rugby’s “amateur” roots. To a simpler time, when rivalries across unions were perhaps more easily put to one side and the demands of commercial obligations played no part whatsoever in the camaraderie of what is now referred to on social media as the “rugby family”.

The task facing the Lions is not unlike 2009. South Africa were reigning Rugby World Cup champions at that time too, and defeated the touring side in two out of the three Test Matches. The initial squad was made up from 37 payers, quite evenly spread between the Home Nations: 11 players from England, 10 from Wales, 8 from Ireland and 8 from Scotland. The management team is driven by Kiwi Warren Gatland, aided by Gregor Townsend, Robin McBryde, Steve Tandy and Neil Jenkins. On the Springbok side, Rassie Erasmus has taken up a Director of Rugby role since the RWC victory in 2019 with Jacques Nienaber taking up Head Coach duties.

It will be an epic clash of two rugby titans. Combined, the Home Nations have exceptional depth of squad that individually can be lacking in the likes of the 6 Nations. The Springboks, however, have long made a prerequisite of seemingly growing players of every conceivable position in the Highveld. They will be prepared and up for the challenge.

24th July 1800 CET: 1st Test, Cape Town

31st July 1800 CET: 2nd Test, Johannesburg

7th August 1800 CET: 3rd Test, Johannesburg

You can watch the Tests at many bars and pubs throughout Gibraltar, including the Arena Bar and the Lord Nelson.

Find out more at lionsrugby.com

EURO 2020, delayed for a year because of Covid-19 restrictions, will now kick off  on 11th June, sparking a month long celebration of the beautiful game, with the final scheduled to take place at Wembley on 11th July. For the first time, the finals will be shared between 11 countries, originally a one-off idea from UEFA to honour the competition’s 60th anniversary but, of  much more significance now as Europe slowly emerges from the ravages of the pandemic, an opportunity to spread the love of the sport that so unites the international football family.

Twenty-four nations are divided into six groups of four in the pool stage, with the winners and runners-up in each group, plus the four best third-placed teams qualifying for the last 16 knockout stage. With Wales, Scotland and England having qualified for the much anticipated and long-delayed extravaganza, Euro 2020 promises to be a blockbuster event for UK expats and tourists here in Gibraltar, evoking cherished memories of previous tournaments, particularly in this correspondent, when fondly remembering magical moments sitting in sun-baked Casemates Square, sipping cider in front of the Big Screen and letting tribal passion run free, unfettered, if only for an hour and a half!

Scotland and England have been drawn together in Group D and their pool clash promises to be a juggernaut affair, definitely not one for the faint-hearted, an irresistible force crashing against an immovable object, evoking memories of past epic football encounters between these footy-mad nations, the drama still powered by lingering echoes of centuries-old battlefield conflicts – think Braveheart, think Bonnie Prince Charlie, think Bannochburn and, on 18th June, think Wembley, when, pandemic permitting, tens of thousands of tartan-clad, kilt-wearing, wild-eyed, hairy-legged Scots, all united in single purpose – the rout of the Sassenachs – will march on England’s premier stadium to the haunting backdrop of Flower of Scotland and the intoxicating swirl of bagpipes. England, be warned, the Tartan Army is on the march and defeat is not an option.

Bookmakers appear to have dismissed any chance of tournament victory for either Wales or Scotland, as derisory odds of 200/1 and 300/1 respectively would seem to indicate, with England currently available at a very skinny 6/1 to lift the Trophy. Let’s take a look at how the three home nations have performed in past Euros, and run the rule over the chances of an at-long-last home victory in Euro 2020.

Former golf professional and European Tour player David Steele, well known in the golfing fraternity along the Costa del Sol and for his family connections in Gibraltar, is holding a unique fundraising event in aid of two Spanish charities: Cancer Research and Centro Contigo in La Linea.

This will be David’s third Golf Marathon challenge, and at the age of 64 he has decided it will be his last! 

In 1993, at the age of 38, David raised funds to buy an ambulance for the village of Guadiaro, playing 315 holes over 17 and a half rounds during daylight hours at the San Roque Golf Club.   

Ten years later in 2003 at the age of 48, David attempted to break the world record for the most number of holes played in 24 hours using a golf Cart at Dama del Noche in Marbella, raising the extraordinary amount of €100,000 for Cancer research, CIOMA, Assn Espanola Contra El Cancer and CUDECA. The event was covered for television by Sky Sports.   

This year the event will take place at the El Higueral 9 hole golf course in Benahavis, on Monday 7th June when David will attempt to play 324 holes of golf over 18 rounds during daylight hours. 

Golf is something that is in David’s DNA but surprisingly he didn’t take up the game until he was 13 years old. “My father was a golf professional at Gosforth Park in Newcastle, alongside Dave Thomas who played in the Ryder Cup and nearly won the British Open twice,” David says. “I was named David Thomas Steele after my godfather.”

David’s father was one of the first British professionals to go and teach the game to the Scandinavians, going over to Sweden in 1954 where David was born the year after. “We spent five years in the south at Falsterbo Golf Course and then five years in Stockholm, and my father’s claim to fame is teaching Prince Carl Gustaf to play golf who is now the King of Sweden.”

Returning to Newcastle at the age of 10 years old David indulged his passion for playing football, but to the delight of his father he took up golf three years later. “By the time I was 15 I represented England and went on to play for England as a boy, youth and full International until I turned professional in 1975 and played the European Tour for eight years,” he explains. Eventually coming to La Manga to go to Qualifying School, David ended up losing his playing card and made his way to Marbella where he met Alan James who had a travel company. “I ran golf holiday tours and then when Alan bought El Paraiso Golf Club in 1984 he asked me to become Golf Director.”

1989 was a big year not only because David became the first official foreign distributor in Europe for E-Z-Go Golf Carts, selling the business in 2003, but because he met Gianella Imossi who went on to become his wife. “That’s when I fell in love with Gibraltar,” David states. Friday the 13th is unlucky for some but obviously not for David and Gianella because that was the date on which they met, became engaged and got married. “It was a very lucky date for me,” he smiles. 

Their wedding in 1991 caused a bit of a stir when Gianella drove from her home in Irish Town up Main Street to the Cathedral in a golf cart. “After the ceremony we had a police escort to the Caleta Palace for the reception,” David explains. “Gibraltar had never seen a golf cart so there was a huge amount of interest, with crowds gathering outside the Cathedral to look at our unusual mode of transport.”

Fundraising for charities has always been a big part of David’s life and together with Alan James, David started the Jimmy Tarbuck Classic which has now been going for 40 years, raising over 1 million euros in Spain for handicapped children and latterly in Portugal, where the charity event is run by David’s brother, for a children’s hospice in Faro. 

‘Steeley’, as he is known to most people including his golfing friends Ian Woosnam (‘Woosy’) and Sandy Lyle (‘Lyley’), is being supported by two Ryder Cup heroes, Manual Pinero from Spain and Eddie Polland from Ireland, who will take part in a Q&A session prior to a dinner and the auction of some amazing prizes at the launch of the Marathon event on Sunday 5th June at the San Roque Club, which is also the venue for a Charity Golf Marathon Tournament followed by cocktails and the presentation of prizes on the 12th June.  

David has set a target of €50,000 for this year’s challenge which he hopes to raise via sponsorship, donations, an auction and raffle and a ‘How Many Shots Will I Hit’ competition at €5 a guess. This will be no mean feat for a man who is now older, less fit and a little heavier than when he undertook his previous events. “It would be wonderful if I could raise enough to assist these two worthy charities,” David comments. “No donation is too small.”

For more information and to donate, please go to:

David Steele Charity Golf Marathon Go Fund Me page

Facebook: davidsteelegolfmarathonman

Twitter: GolfSteele 

Instagram: davidsteelegolfmarathonman 

or contact David directly at david@strokesave.co.uk 

The Grand National, the greatest horse race in the world bar none, takes place on Saturday April 10th, the last day of the Aintree Festival and, just like Cheltenham the preceding month, the much loved event will for the first time be staged behind closed doors as Covid-19 continues to exert its cruel, malevolent and deadly grip on people’s lives, loves and pursuits.

Certainly, the iconic three-day festival will be much the poorer deprived of the heaving throng of enthusiastic Scousers who annually come out in force to celebrate the Merseyside version of Royal Ascot but, at least, the “People’s Race” goes ahead, unlike last year when the plug was pulled as distress signals from the men in white coats to the men in suits resulted in the entire meeting being abandoned.

While gambling restrictions have been lifted in Gibraltar and it has been possible to have a bet in the Sports Arena in Casemates and Ocean Village for several weeks now, under Boris Johnson’s “roadmap to freedom” high street betting shops in the UK will remain closed until April 12th, two days after the festival ends, unfortunate timing for the bookies, a decision that is estimated will cost the industry north of £175m in cash betting as once-a-year punters and hordes of eager housewives will be unable to place their annual pound each-way on the famous race.

Another blow to the National is that the tiny turbo known as Tiger Roll, denied by last year’s abandonment of the opportunity to make history by becoming a three-in-a-row winner, having being first to the jam stick in 2018 and repeating the feat the following year – an awesome achievement that proved beyond even the legendary Red Rum – has been taken out of the race by owner Michael O’Leary, who reportedly was miffed that the handicapper had allotted his stable star 7lbs more weight to carry than when last successful in 2019.

I have two questions for Mr O’Leary, Ryanair’s abrasive boss – yes, Tiger Roll is getting on a bit, he’s 11 years, which in equine terms means pension pastures are on the horizon, he’s tiny, about the size of a pony, and weight can anchor even the strongest of steeds, but Michael, surely you must have a twinge of regret at your hasty decision to withdraw our little hero from the National after Tiger rolled back the years at last month’s Cheltenham festival, pulverising a field of top-class chasers to win unchallenged, thrilling the racing world in scenes reminiscent of  derring-do deeds from past immortals like Rummy and even “Himself”, the almighty Arkle, by some distance the greatest chaser ever to set hoof on the racecourse.

It’s not too late to re-enter the little warrior in the race Michael and, for once, enjoy a rare chance to bask in the warm glow of public acclaim and affection rather than continue to suffer the slings and arrows that daily assail you. And my second question, any chance that when lockdown is lifted and normality resumes, would Ryanair be interested in taking over the Luton slots vacated by the collapse of Monarch? Just like Tiger Roll Mr O’Leary, it would be a sure-fire winner!

The three-day Aintree Festival, one of my favourite meetings, is not all about the Grand National, it provides an opportunity for recent Cheltenham winners to strut their stuff, to showcase their talent in search of further glory, and for the Prestbury Park vanquished, a chance of redemption – like PAISLEY PARK, who could only finish third for us in the Stayers Hurdle, to get back in the winner’s enclosure, and once again I’ll be lumbering the poor beast with my tenner when he lines up in the Liverpool Hurdle on the Saturday (4.40 CET), as I’m convinced Paisley wasn’t 100 per cent last time and compensation awaits popular owner Andrew Gemmell, who has been blind since birth.

And so, on to the daunting conundrum that the Grand National poses, the most demanding test of man and beast – a maximum field of 40 runners competing over a distance of 4 miles and 514 yards with thirty fearsome fences to be negotiated, the best known being Valentine’s, The Chair, Canal Turn and Becher’s Brook, so called because Captain Martin Becher, riding in the first Grand National, was unseated and nearly drowned in the brook.

At the time of writing, entries for both races have not been finalised which puts picking the winner as elusive as finding that old needle in a field of haystacks. However, undaunted and forever the optimist despite repeated reversals, I’ve got a horse that I feel certain is sure to give us a good run for our money – CLOTH CAP, trained in the Cotswolds by National Hunt elder statesman Jonjo O’Neill and owned by Trevor Hemmings, surely the luckiest of men, as the apple of his eye attempts to win him the great race for the fourth time. The 8-year-old gelding has been very impressive in its last two races, winning at Kelso and Newbury and, carrying a feather weight of 10st 5lbs and my tenner, already I can hear the commentator screaming his name as he jumps the last in front and sails past the elbow on that famous Aintree run-in to claim victory and the thick end of a million quid. It’s on the Big Screen at the Arena in Ocean Village – don’t miss it!

My father was a professional Footballer, and therefore the game naturally runs through our veins. My Career took place as a footballer in my hometown Algeciras, in The lower divisions. I later progressed to the professional Level in Estepona and Ceuta, and UD Los Barrios. My most prolonged stay at a club was to take place at the Balona, where I had Played Three Seasons. My coaching career later took over, and I’ve had the privilege of training my hometown, Algeciras C.F. where we had gained promotion with UD Los Barrios, CD San Roque, CD Guadiaro and UD Tesorillo and finally C.D. Villanueva de Córdoba In la Segunda B. 

Thanks to Football, I was lucky to have gained an unforgettable experience by managing “invidentes de la ONCE” in Algeciras and be crowned Champions with the C.P. Botafuego Algeciras within the Real Madrid project Foundation. In my Last Years, I’ve Evolved In Gibraltar with Lynx FC as my first club. This is my second term with the yellow warriors, having managed Lincoln Red Imps after my first spell with Lynx, where I had worked with the youth and Had the opportunity of directing the First Team, which later won the Championship. I later participated in a UEFA competition with Lincoln Red Imps and its challenges both on and off the pitch.

I first joined Lynx, thanks to a friend in common with Albert. His name was Jesse Britto, and we had played together in La Balona. He always spoke highly of Lynx Football Club, and I guess it was inevitable I would end up with the yellows. In January 2014, I had left San Roque FC and ventured into a new challenge with Albert Parody, the current owner and Managing Director of the club. He also takes a managerial role within the senior squad. The Gibraltar League had taken off at an astronomical rate after being accepted as a UEFA member the previous year, and the yellows were having an excellent season. 

Lynx was a club to be respected within the top tier, and they are no different from what we see in today’s Football. The yellows are a humble club, with a dressing room that responded as a family. This is our unique formula and the reason for having been at a touching distance of qualifying for the UEFA competition. One of our most memorable campaigns came in the 2015 Rock Cup Final against Lincoln. There was a point in the game where we had led by a goal, but Lincoln proved to be a stronger side, considering their financial power from recent Champions League qualification, which became a handicap for us.

The National League has continuously evolved. The teams’ level has gone up with each season, bringing in better Players and coaches year on year. 

Almost All the local Clubs in Gibraltar have a semi-professional structure with all training aspects improving by the year. It does not go without saying that the game has demanded our officials to improve and become a respected entity with the organisation. We have seen a significant investment placed in our grassroots. It is visible with local players playing for their country against the best and bringing home a respectful score and even group qualifications when others perceived us to be the whipping boys of Europe. This was no longer to be the case. 

Each season, we have seen an increase of Local players on the pitch enforced by the Gibraltar Football Association. The federation had implemented a rule to enforce clubs to have a minimum of five Gibraltarians on the pitch. There will always be mixed reviews about the regulation, but I find the law to be fair. Yes, the league takes place in Gibraltar, and it was not customary to previously see very little locals given a chance to play in other football clubs. I understand the board of directors within the GFA have to increase local players and have a healthy crop of talented players for the national team. The only thing I would have changed is the time of the rules being enforced. 

I see it too soon to try and increase the local numbers made available in so little time. We should have gradually made the changes. With the already growing challenges presented by UEFA, the National League level can do more damage than good to a local player that is yet to develop. 

An area I believe should have received further attention from the Gibraltar Football Association was the Under 23’s. Having taken this route, we would have allowed continuous growth with our youth players and taken them through the ranks. Since my time in Gibraltar, I have shown a constant concern for our youth development as a whole and not as an individual club because, as cliche as it may sound, they are our future – Bradley Avellano, Sheilom, James Parkison, Juju, Jaydan Parody, Michael Ruiz and Francis Huart are working extremely hard and I have confidence they will be the future of Gibraltar. 

Albert has been the person who has been there for me since day one, and he has always given me the confidence to not only speak of football but in the personal too. Albert is the face of Lynx, and he is what makes the mighty yellow what it is today. Even though he is a father figure to his players, he always demands the best in us. Since the first day I had joined Lynx, we had a great synergy and understood each other. 

Even though he dedicates many hours to the club, he is very fortunate to have a good group of volunteers giving their all for the club like Deirdre Copello, Elaine Rodriguez, Jack Noble, Jeky Buhagiar, Jimmy Cavilla, Jonathan Costa, Juan Acris, Karl Zarb, Kathy Noble, Lenny Wornall, Scott Houghton, Sergio Rivelli and Stevie Roche. I have also seen Albert grow within his managerial role, and he has adapted to the times, and it is no surprise he has become the longest-serving local manager in Gibraltar. Many may say that he is his own boss, but the stats do not lie. 

I strongly feel this season is there for the taking, and we could finish in the top 4 if we maintain our game plan and never give up attitude. It is by no means easy for us to compete against those that are financially wealthy from their participation in the UEFA competition, so we must grab the 4th opening with both hands. I believe we have good results to show our determination, but we will never be complacent or take the opportunity for granted.