B.D.F. Football Club prepares to take on Platense of Honduras

javier castellanos

The CentroBasket Games are now behind us; we didn’t advance pass that tournament, but there are hopes for another regional sports match, this time in football. The Belize Defence Force Football Club is the national reigning champion for two consecutive years and they’re now preparing to go up against Platense, one of the top teams from Honduras. The local team has starred on the local front but this will be the first time that they will play against an international team. B.D.F. Deputy Commander, Colonel Javier Castellanos, is the head of the football club and he told News Five they’re ready for Honduras.

Col. Javier Castellanos, Deputy Commander, B.D.F.

“As president of the Belize Defence Football club, we have invited Platense football club from Honduras and they are amongst one of the top teams in their national league in Honduras, to come and participate in a friendly match with the Belize Defence Force Football Club. And the date for this match is on the seventeenth of July, next week Saturday and it’s in collaboration with Benque Fiesta. The mayor of Benque has given us the opportunity to play this game and it’s a friendly match for us to show Belizeans what the sport is all about, the level of football that we have now reached and also for the Belize Defence Force to gain an experience with an international team. So it’s going to be a great event.”

Delahnie Bain

“What are your expectations, you think you’re ready?”

Col. Javier Castellanos

“Well, we are. The team is presently training in camp Belizario in Central Farm, using the hills trying to get back in shape after being one month off season.”

Delahnie Bain

“So they are just starting to prepare now? How long have they been preparing?”

Col. Javier Castellanos

“Well, for the past two weeks. The season finished in May and they took a month off football and now they’re back in football as of two weeks ago. They have been training in preparation of this match.”

There are two Belizean players on the Honduran team, who will for the first time play against a team from home. Castellanos says other teams from Honduras and Guatemala have also expressed interest in playing against Belize.