The Kappa Committee addressed questions put to them on Sunday from islandstats.com.
In response the Kappa Classic Committee issued the following statement, “The Men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Bermuda Alumni Chapter, the organisers of the Kappa Classic, have spent the past 9 months planning what turned out to be the largest and most ambitious Kappa Classic to date. This 24th edition welcomed 125 teams and nearly 1,800 boys and girls across the U7 to U15 divisions — a true testament to the event’s growth and importance in our community.
The Kappa Classic is our signature event, and we take great pride in providing a space where young people can express themselves — on the field through skill, competition, and sportsmanship, and off the field through grace, camaraderie, and compassion. This year we were also able to provide space for all participants and their parents to communicate directly to a number of UK schools who were present to discuss potential education opportunities overseas.
Executing an event of this scale would not be possible without the dedication and support of our fraternity members, as well as countless volunteers, vendors, sponsors and community partners. To each of them, we extend our deepest thanks — their commitment is the backbone of what has become Bermuda’s largest youth sporting event.
Naturally, an event of this size comes with challenges. This year was no exception, bringing several “firsts” for us. We made the difficult decision to disqualify a team due to unacceptable conduct toward a referee. We banned a player who was participating in anti-social behaviour during the tournament. We also faced unprecedented weather conditions that forced the postponement of our Saturday matches — a call we did not take lightly.
Faced with having to reschedule 176 games into Sunday and limited venue availability, we made the decision to conclude the tournament on Sunday in accordance with Section 16 of the Kappa Classic rules, though never previously used, is the rule of resolving postponed matches due to weather interruptions, by penalty shootouts. This was done to ensure all age groups could participate meaningfully and fairly within the time constraints. Please note that these rules were shared with all participating clubs electronically and discussed with all coaches who attended the coaches mandatory meeting prior to the event.
We understand that this approach made it difficult for everyone to persevere. Following our announcement, one of the tournament’s larger clubs, which had entered 13 teams, chose to withdraw. Their concerns centred around player wellbeing, early match times, and the handling of a U7 match incident. For the sake of their players, we regretted their decision but remained focused on completing the tournament.
To the 112 teams that continued — your resilience, spirit, and commitment to the event's core values did not go unnoticed. Thank you for helping us bring this year's Kappa Classic to life, even under tough circumstances and we look forward to seeing all of you next year.
The Men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Bermuda Alumni Chapter remain committed to creating opportunities for positive experiences, strong community connections, and lasting memories through the Kappa Classic. We promise our unwavering dedication to the young people of Bermuda and aim to make thoughtful decisions that create the greatest value for all participants and stakeholders.
Finally, we ask that the media and all individuals sharing video footage of the incident during the U7 match take down the images, as it is not in the best interest of safeguarding the two young people involved.
With gratitude,
Kappa Classic Committee
The Men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.,
Bermuda Alumni Chapter
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