A VERY inexperienced Barbados Under-20 women’s football team, including 13 debutantes, will leave on Friday for a four-day training camp in Trinidad and Tobago where they will play three friendly matches against their hosts’ national Under-17 and Under-20 teams.
The Easter holiday visit to the twin-island republic is part of the new-look team’s preparation for the 2011 Caribbean Football Union Qualifying Tournament in October.
Manager Ytannia Wiggins told MIDWEEK Sport that a major objective of the tour is to build team consciousness where the players will experience travelling and living together and a tournament environment.
She added it would also be a “self-teaching” exercise as the 19 players would learn simply by playing in the matches, which are scheduled for the Marvin Lee Stadium on Friday, Sunday and Monday at 4 p.m..
“This tour will give players an opportunity to play against quality opposition and hopefully inspire them to improve their standard of play and attitude toward the game,” Wiggins said.
“It will also act as a gauge for the management team to assess the current programme and make adjustments before the October qualifiers.”
Just six players – midfielders Shanice Stevenson, Kimberly Ellis and Aisha McCombie; strikers Aailyah Alleyne and Shireen Alleyne, and goalkeeper Rhea Holder – have played at this level before. Stevenson is the most experienced with 16 caps.
The newcomers include three 12-year-olds: Springer Memorial midfielder Dominique Browne, Garrison forward Makela Alleyne, and Queen’s College midfielder Aiko Rudder-Jones.
There are also three 13-year-olds: Alexandra midfielder Kaisha Worrell, Harrison College midfielder Adrienne Forde, and Parkinson defender Tori-Ann Cadogan.
The two eligible overseas-based players, Soraya Toppin-Herbert and Alyssa Yarde, who is recovering from knee surgery, have not been selected for the camp, while twin sisters, Kycia and Kyshonna Knight were not considered for training after recuperating from injury.
Another notable omission is goalkeeper Tamisha Marshall, who reportedly had switched to playing as a defender during the trials but returned to the goalbars during the recently concluded 2011 Barbados Cup when she was named Most Valuable Player.
Originally, 40 players were selected for training which began in mid- January at the University of the West Indies with three sessions weekly.
The players have also benefited mentally from sessions with sports psychologist Paul Sealy.
The squad
Aailyah Alleyne, Makela Alleyne, Shireen Alleyne, Dominique Browne, Tori-Ann Cadagon, Kimberly Ellis, Adrienne Forde, Sasha Grant, Rhea Holder, Brenda Maingot, Aisha McCombie, Ashley Moore, Shanice Patterson, Kodi Reid, Aiko Rudder-Jones, Shanice Stevenson, Ashanee Thompson, Sabrina Thompson, Kaisha Worrell.
Management: Richard Forde (coach), Ytannia Wiggins (manager), Sasha Sutherland (assistant manager), Desmond Grant (trainer), Susan Patterson (medic), Sylvia Darlington (head of delegation).
