Seizing the moment

National footballer Acacia Small is a true testament that hard work and determination lead to great rewards as she has earned a scholarship to Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina starting in August, to pursue her Major in Psychology and Sociology.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder said she is ecstatic about this latest accomplishment in her football career and it is something she has been dreaming about and working towards for some time.

“I feel pretty ecstatic about it because I have been dreaming about this for quite some time and I know that I have been putting in a lot of work. Covid-19 would have pushed back a lot of plans that I would have had, so for it to finally come through and me being able to finally make it this far into having a scholarship is exciting,” she explained.

While at Allen University, Small will be under the care of coach Jimmy George and shared how the opportunity came about. “The Allen University female football program is being renewed because of a semi-professional coach who has been hired there and he has started a whole new program with a lot of persons from the Caribbean and a few from America. He wants to create what he calls his dream team.”

Small’s journey in football began as a class two student at Hillaby Turner’s Hall Primary in the National Sports Council BICO Tournament and she has since gone on to represent Barbados at the Under-17, 20 and senior levels.

National attacking midfielder Acacia Small (right) earned a scholarship to Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina.

It is because of her former primary school coach Kelvin Scott that Small began playing football and for that she expressed thanks to him. Fast forward years later and Small plays for the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Blackbirds Women’s team which is coached by former captain and striker of the Barbados senior men’s team Mario Harte, who is also the national women’s coach.

A former student of the Lester Vaughan Secondary School and later the Ellerslie Secondary School, Small’s focus in track and field was short-lived because of an illness called hematoma which is an abnormal collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. While it affected her mentally, Small said she was able to bounce back and pursue her true love for football as a player.

The exciting right-winger who gives her all once wearing the ultramarine, gold and black for Barbados, is hoping that through her studies she can one day return and give back to the sport locally.

“It kind of broke me down mentally but made it easier to pursue my dream because even though I loved track and field I think I love football even more. And I want to be one of the few females who would receive a scholarship and do bigger and better things in terms of coming back and helping programs in Barbados develop.

“I want to help young girls see that it is not just males who could move forward in the sport and get opportunities, that we too could get opportunities that we could work towards and make it out,” Small explained.

A keen Lionel Messi fan, Small finds inspiration in watching the Argentinian football legend and explained that his passion, commitment and skill are what she admires most about the star player.

Small made her senior international debut this year for Barbados with a total of six matches to her her name. She represented the Lady Tridents at the 2022 Concacaf W Qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which has so far been the highlight of her playing career.

She shared what it is like being part of the Barbados women’s team. “It has been fantastic. Progressing from the junior program into the senior setup was smooth. Everyone was very welcoming, and supportive, and we just created this bond where there was a very safe space to speak on anything football or life in general. This team would have created a space in my heart where I hold it deeply.

“I love the Lady Tridents more than anything and they would have helped me to be where I am right now. If it wasn’t for that program I wouldn’t have been as confident on the ball as I am today. So, while I give credit to my coaches, I also give credit to my teammates who helped me along every step of the way.”

One of the most versatile sportswomen in Barbados, Small did not only make a name for herself in football, track and field as a hurdler but also plays netball and was picked by the Barbados Netball Association selectors to be part of the Under-23 team to compete (June 29th to July 3rd) at the inaugural Caribbean Championships in Guadeloupe.

Without the support of her immediate family including her mother Abigail Small, the talented athlete said she wouldn’t have reached this far and is grateful for her support.

The skilful midfielder is hoping to see a level playing field where both men and women are treated equally in football and she encouraged more females to get involved in the sport.

“It is a male-dominated sport for right now but it is a sport for everyone and I believe that women are equally talented as men are in this sport and the only way to move forward is if you try, the only way that you can become a footballer is if you start.

“In terms of being able to receive a scholarship or any goal that you would have set for yourself, it starts with the mind. You have to believe in yourself and then others will believe in you and you will move forward from there,” Small stressed.

(morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb)