Warm reception at the Cuban Sports Institution 

Cuba is a country that has produced several major sporting persons and athletes and until now, football has been in the shadow of baseball. But today, football is on the rise and at the same time, Cuba since 2015 have a more open policy, the Dana Cup can see an opportunity to include the tropical nation with the already 115 nations that have been represented at the Dana Cup in Hjørring.

A delegation from the Dana Cup has just recently visited Havana.

- I believe that we will see results, perhaps not this year but from 2018. I am without doubt convinced that the Cuba people are interested, says Director - Jette Andersen from the Dana Cup. It is an exciting task to invite Cuban teams to the Dana Cup. Cuba is a nation where baseball is on top but we also experienced during our stay, that the children were playing football everywhere it was possible in Havana. 

Jette Andersen admits that it can be difficult to make contacts but it can be achieved.

- Now we have a good understanding about the organization of football in Cuba and it is very different to what we know in Denmark, says Jette Andersen. They do not have clubs as we do in Denmark, they play football in their schools and it is a part of their educational system. This is what we know so far and thus a very important partner in Cuba is INDER, the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation. 

We received a fantastic welcome and there is no doubt that the Director, Adelaida Ramos Puig, together with three others, will do all she can to see teams from Cuba at the Dana Cup and hopefully already here in 2017. They can see the meaning in uniting Cuban children with other young children from all around the World. At the meeting in Havana there was also a representative from UNICEF, who is also very interested in establishing connections between Cuba and the Dana Cup.

We would like to thank our agent, Patricia Espinosa for all of her assistance in setting up the meetings in Cuba.

Photo: An important meeting with INDER gave hope that Cuba will be represented at the Dana Cup. From the left, Marketing Alison Leigh Forman - Dana Cup, Director Adelaida Ramos Puig - INDER, Amièe Betancourt - UNICEF Cuba and Director Jette Andersen - Dana Cup.