by EZRA STUART

THE DRIVE TOWARDS the selection of national women's football teams is moving into full stride.

On February 26, the second in the series of national trials for the Barbados senior and Under-20 women's squads will be held at the Barbados Community College from 3 p.m.

Manager Ytannia Wiggins told SUNSPORT the trials got under way last Sunday and the response from the girls was extremely good.

"We are playing a series of games but, prior to that, there will be warm-up sessions where we can assess the girls' fitness and their basic ball handling techniques," Wiggins said.

Former national men's coach Edward Smith is in charge of entire coaching staff, which also includes Under-20 head coach Richard Forde and assistant coach Sandra Jones, the former Barbados women's hockey player.

Lodge School's physical education teacher Desmond Grant is the trainer, with Susan Patterson as medic and Sasha Sutherland as assistant manager.

The Under-20 footballers are preparing for next year's qualifying series of the 2008 Women's World Cup, while the senior women are gearing for their first friendly international match on March 12 at the National Stadium against either St Kitts or St Vincent and the Grenadines. A second friendly is slated for March 26.

Wiggins said the feedback from spectators who watched the girls in action on the opening of the Barbados Football Association's 2006 season earlier this month had been encouraging.

"Some people were very impressed with the skill level of the girls. Actually, they were very surprised. They didn't expect that standard from the girls. From their coaches' perspective,
there were a lot of positives in terms of spacing and field positions," Wiggins said.

He said there were about 20 girls in training with the Under-20 squad but the numbers were doubled for the senior team as the junior girls were eligible to represent both teams.

"We actually have three teams, the UWI, the Barbados Women's Football Academy and the National Sports Council, playing women's football. In addition, there are also some girls from other clubs who train with their male teams but are now joining the national programme."

"Now there is a female squad, they have something to look forward to and are very excited," said Wiggins.

Most of the girls in the Under-20 squad are students of some of the island's secondary schools such as Ellerslie, Lodge, Queen's College, Princess Margaret and Springer Memorial.

"We also have some girls from the Barbados Community College and the girls from the University of West Indies that have dual nationality," Wiggins said.

ezrastuart@nationnews.com