By Michron Robinson
For the last two years women’s football was dormant but now with the Women’s Super League Tournament at least one club is looking forward to the sport’s resurgence.
Club manager of RF Prime Richard Forde told Barbados TODAY that he was glad to be a part of the effort along with the Barbados Football Association in getting the girls out again.
“We are here preparing our girls for the upcoming Women’s Super League and we haven’t played since 2018 in a domestic league. I think it’s a good thing that the BFA is doing that we can get our girls back out again,” he said while speaking on the grounds of the Hoyte’s Village Playing Field in James last Thursday, August 25.
Forde believes that his team has a great advantage at possibly placing in the tournament which started yesterday.
“I believe that we have as good a chance as anybody because this team is young and we have a lot of girls who play nationally for under 15, under 17 and under 20 so this is also a building ground,” he said.
“For me this is a momentous occasion for some of these girls and for our club also because this is our first major tournament but due to COVID-19 the competition ended so this is our first major tournament and we are happy to get these girls out to see how they play,” the manager added.
Captain in this league for RF Prime Jessie Robinson, who is leading the team in the position of central defender/attacker, said that she’s confident in her team and their ability after they gelled together well. She believes they will be a force to be reckoned with on the field.
Eighteen-year-old Daphne Watson-James, who normally plays as a central defensive midfielder, has full faith in her team even though for this tournament she’ll be playing center-back.
She believes that she brings added value to the team playing as center-back, especially with her height as a 5ft 11in tall young lady.
“I’ll use that to the best of my ability being able to body off players and being in the back you have to be strong as that’s your last line before the goal. I think I’ll be a good asset to the team in that position,” she explained as dusk set in on the evening of practice.
Watson-James has full confidence in her team.
“I have high but realistic expectations for my team. I think we will do really well and do a really good job. We have some new players, some older players but I think that we’ve all come together really well and we will perform at our best,” she informed.
Meanwhile Solange Holder who strikes for RF Prime said that coming out of lockdowns and the raging pandemic was difficult fitness-wise, but she’s still ready and raring to give the tournament her best shot.
“In terms of fitness it was hard to come back as fit as I was before and a little bit reconnecting with the team because I haven’t seen them for a while but [all in all] it is okay,” she said.
Editor’s note: RF Prime lost their opening game 2-0 to Fitts Village FC at Valery, St Michael yesterday.
