Hearts were heavy this season for Tigers FC players, as they returned to the field for the first time since their late coach Gonzalo McLaughlin passed away three years ago.
McLaughlin died in a single-vehicle collision in Bodden Town on 8 Aug. 2020 – a tragic accident that left many in the community grieving.
McLaughlin’s long-time team – Tigers FC – disbanded after his death, but returned to the pitch last year.
Ricky Bodden, Tigers FC president, said the club had plans to return sooner, but those did not come to fruitition until the start of the 2023-24 season of the Cayman Islands Football Association Men’s First Division league.
“The boys actually came to me and said they want to bring the group back together,” Bodden said, noting that around 26 players were dedicated to training after word got out that the team was officially scheduled in CIFA competition again.
When gameplay kicked off for the men, it was clear that their intentions weren’t to leave the season with a participation trophy. Instead, they intended to win, and that’s just what they did – for the first time in league history.
Many in the football fraternity are calling it ‘one of the greatest comebacks stories ever recorded’ in the domestic league.
“I was overwhelmed with that type of response but we came together with the intention to win the league in Gonzalo’s honour,” Bodden said with a tear in his eye. “I said we’re going to do this one step at a time and we decided we were going to focus on the men’s first division, and the goal was to win it, and we did it; we did it for Gonzalo.”
The Tigers players, with emotions running high throughout the season and a fanbase roaring in the stands at every game, persevered and won the league title after edging East End FC 1-0 in what was a must-win match for Tigers to secure the championship. Tigers were also the runners-up in the MVP Cup tournament.
Since being formed in 2003, the club had never won a senior title prior to beating East End – an accomplishment Bodden said was a long time coming.
“It was a long journey,” he said. “In the early days, the focus was on kids.”
But in 2009, the club made its first appearance in the CIFA Men’s Premier League and remained there until the passing of coach McLaughlin.
When the team returned to claim the First Division title, their win meant an automatic promotion to their old stomping grounds – the premier league.
With the 2024-25 season on the horizon, Gonzalo McLaughlin Jr, Tiger’s team captain and son of coach McLaughlin, said their historic run in his father’s honour has only just begun.
“This means a lot to me,” he told the Compass. “I’ve been looking for something to push for and I think I found it. I really love the fact that we all came together to fight and win a spot in the premier league, and our next goal is to win it.”
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