A 15 member national Girls Under – 15 team and six officials left the island yesterday to participate in the CONCACAF Girls football championships which take place in Orlando, Florida.
A total of twenty-two nations from across the CONCACAF region, as well as invitee Venezuela from CONMEBOL, have signed on to participate in the tournament, designed to encourage development for youth players from across the Confederation, while promoting competition at the international level for all associations – including those for which few opportunities have previously existed at this age level.
The teams scheduled to participate by region are as follows – CFU – Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the US Virgin Islands, and from UNCAF: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, from North America: Canada, Mexico, United States, and from CONMEBOL: Venezuela.
The participating teams will be divided into three groups of five teams and two groups of four teams. All of the group winners, plus the second place teams from the five-team groups, will advance to the quarter final stage.
According to the SLFA President Lyndon Cooper, St. Lucia’s participation is part of its strategic plan for women’s football and geared at providing the girls with the exposure and experience as it rebuilds its national women’s programme. It stressed that it was not a matter of winning yet but a matter of the development of women’s Football.
The St. Lucia squad reads: – Qiana Joseph, Kenna Lionel, Sasha Alcide, ShakeraClasse, Tessa Jones, Geean Henry, Faith Emmanuel, Thai Fowell, Tiffany Allaine, SteffanieAllaine, Britanya St. Prix, Melanie Richard, IlanaLashley, Tanika Bernard, Nicofia Joseph, Cassandra Shephard, Kayla Camille and Krysan St. Louis.
In the USA the team will be under the watchful eyes of EvastausAugustin, Head Coach and Nicola Belasse and Denis Didier, Assistant Coaches.
Meanwhile, the tour will cost the SLFA a total of $113,000.00 for team preparation, visa acquisitions and travel to Orlando.
Canada is the defending champion, after defeating Haiti 4 – 1 in penalties, in the title match in 2014, played in the Cayman Islands.