New Owners Ready to Challenge for Elite League Crown

Reynaldo Malik

Since acquiring the team a little over three months ago, Old Capital Sports, the organization which owns the Belize City Defenders, has been re-branded the team and has made it financially stable.  It’s a process, says Malik, that has seen its share of challenges.

Reynaldo Malik, Old Capital Sports

“The process since October has been up and down.  As you said, we acquired Belize City No Limit which had had some limited success, they had been to the playoffs one time out of the four years that the NEBL has existed, but they’ve also had other times where they’ve floundered a little bit financially as well.  So, us coming in, we did hope to establish, one: managerial stability as well as financial stability as well.  In general, not just a No Limit problem, but in general the sport, whether it’s basketball, football or any sport in Belize is not necessarily enjoy a good time right now, especially when it comes to participation from corporate Belize.  So it has been challenging convincing corporate Belize to come back into sports, particularly where the Belize City Defenders are concerned.  But on the flipside, bringing in folks through the organization, like Jacob Leslie and his brother, Darwin ‘Puppy’ Leslie, two well-known basketballers and Jacob himself being a business manager himself, that has lent a great deal of credence to our participation in the NEBL, so we have been able to attract some other players as well as the product that we are going to put out on the court.  We believe that we are going to challenge very successfully for the NEBL crown.”

The Defenders first home game will be played on February second against the Orange Walk Running Rebels.