By Iva Wharton
Without knowing the fundamentals of playing football, all that the females in Mabaruma, Region One, are doing is ‘kicking ball’ since they lack the technical and tactical knowledge of the game.
This was very evident in their game on Sunday which was facilitated by cell phone giant, Digicel, as one of the exhibition matches during its Schools Football Tournament played at Settlement Ground, Mabaruma.
The girls, some of whom have been involved in the sport for a while, are unable to control the ball, make proper passes, and maintain their positions, among other basic things.
But despite their visible deficiencies they have the support of their villagers who seem to be very proud of their women. They are not as harsh on them as they are on the males. In fact they are very supportive and understanding of the mistakes they made and urged them to better the performance the next time.
Many of the villagers expressed the view that the women playing the game would achieve much more should they have access to officials and training.
Rhona Douglas, one of the older players on the team, said that she is fully aware of the weaknesses of her team. She described the team as a reasonably strong one.
“It’s just that we need a coach again to work with them every afternoon; that is what they need. Because what you find [is that] of the lot of girls we have only three (who) would practice regularly. The rest of them don’t really come out like as usual when we come and play with the boys.”
Asked how often the Mabaruma female team competes, Douglas indicated that they practiced whenever there is a holiday; other than that the team is out of practice.
“If we have a coach we can develop back the game and go with other players and play. Like August month we go to Kaituma and play a three-day match (where) different areas come together and play.”
Asked what the Sports Officer for Region One, Elton Browne, has been doing for the development of female football, Douglas said nothing is being done from the region’s end to advance the development of women’s football.
“Like me, although I work, I still try come every afternoon and practice because after a long time we had stopped, but I am back every day now because I love the game. That is my game, football.”
She also said that no assistance is being given to them from the Region “but if we get the push and a coach that can train us we can do better for Region One, you know go out and play other places which would be good. But, you know, we need the coach and somebody who can push us. Football is a nice game, is an interesting game, especially for young women coming up. Playing football you can develop your region and country.”
Douglas, a mother of three, is a vendor at the Kumaka Market and she is also a former boxer. But she said that she had given up boxing some eight years ago when she moved to Mabaruma with her mother.
Another young woman with whom we spoke was sixteen- year-old Keifica James. James was a member of last year’s Under-17 national squad. James said that she has been involved in the sport for the past three years and, according to her, she loves it.
James explained that she had been selected by the sports officer as part of the female squad to represent Mabaruma at the Heritage Competition and it was from there that she was drafted for the national team.
“I was happy and felt very proud that I was selected. It was great, I feel really proud.” James said that she is very sad that she was not called back to the national team.
The teen said that with all her friends out of school and now working, all that is left of the former team is Fitzpatrick, Douglas and herself. She felt that this was a sad state of affairs and opined that more should have been done to promote and develop women’s football in Mabaruma.
Fourteen-year-old Minerva Fitzpatrick said that she has been a part of the team for the past three years and took up the sport because she loves it. According to her she has no intention of giving up the sport anytime soon.
