The Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. joins the Gros Islet community and the football family in extending our sincere condolences to those who were closest to our dearly departed Jennifer Gaston. As an administrator and a fan of the beautiful game, Jennifer was a central figure in the sport within her district, and at a national level as well.
Known as The Grand Dame of Gros Islet football, Jennifer was president and manager of the Orion Football Club, public relations officer of the Gros Islet Football League, and communications officer at the SLFA. She was especially concerned with youth football, and led the Gros Islet Youth Football Programme. In 2011 and 2012, she was instrumental in helping Orion win the District Cup, and then the SLFA Promotional Cup, advancing them to the SLFA Silver Division.
As head of the district’s youth programme, she worked with former English footballer Les Ferdinand to put on a camp for youngsters in Gros Islet. True to her nature, she ensured that the Boys’ Training Centre was included, as she felt that the lads would be inspired by associating with coaches from Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club. She also helped coordinate the supply of school packs including bags, binders, notebooks, pens, pencils, rulers, and calculators for the youths.
Jennifer was the Mistress of Ceremonies at the 2011 National Sports Awards. During the 2012 Independence Awards Ceremony, she was granted The Saint Lucia Les Pitons Medal (Bronze) SLPM for community service. In 2018, she won the Longevity Award when the Gros Islet Football League held its Annual Football Awards Ceremony under the theme “Celebrating Excellence: Tapping into the limitless potential of our footballers.”
SLFA President Lyndon Cooper said:
“One thing you can say for sure about Jennifer Gaston is that she was always willing to go the extra mile for people, and especially for young people, whether in sports, music, whatever the case may be. She had a generosity of spirit that should serve as an example for us all. Her contribution to the development of football has been invaluable, and her presence at Gros Islet games was sorely missed during the period of her illness. We thank God for the gift of her life, and we will surely miss her.”
Photo extracted from SLFA