SVG female footballers kicked off their CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics on the 16th February, 2022 in Cuba and lost to the host country 3-0. Four days later in Cuba, they were mauled 11-0 by Haiti. Those who watched the games on their cell phones must have wondered whether the team was coached.
The knowledge of the principles that inform possession was never a part of the SVG female team.
‘Possession provide opportunities’. Since there was no possession, we have to conclude that there was no plan. No time in the game was the team able to settle down and make five consecutive, purposeful passes, be it in transition, to reorganize, or to recover.
Let’s cut a long story short: the females are not coached. The two primary aspects of the sport as played out on the field are running and kicking, and kicking is transformed into passes, shooting and crossing – long or short passes. Then there free kicks which are either passes or shots on goal. Which, if any of those did the team do best?
Footballers in the Caribbean, except in SVG, have shown improvement. Are you wondering why?
FIFA Female competition started in 1991. We should have been prepared, but football executive through the years have failed the sport, the players and the country. At every election to the national executive you can hear my or I. My executive will do better than those before. Their better is worse. Players, you all need to talk to those who represent you and make your vote count at meetings.
An ex-president and now head of the No 1 Academy here is doing far better than the SVGFF executive which has all the resources, including funding, but they do not have the knowledge . The ex-president says he is not interested in the local senior competition but rather seeing youths develop.
Our females have the best opportunity to be contracted, but they have to develop their skills and techniques and be fit to perform throughout any entire game, especially in the latter half of the game. They have to believe in the coaching principles if they are to get the experience and knowledge. Practising drills without its process and purpose would only help you to get physical.
Many female league and clubs, started in the 2000s, are scouting for intelligent female players. They can make a good living, but without the education of the game valuable time will be wasted. To be an outstanding player you must have experience and knowledgeable of the sport and be coached. Coaches can demonstrate properly, show and explain how to perfect the skills to become a good player.
Good advice is scarce. You cannot and would not get good advice from the national executive. If you did, national female footballers would not perform as they did in the recent games against Cuba and Haiti.
Coach needs to go back to the drawing board.
Rollit