The curtain came down on the 2013 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women s Under-17

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1 september 2013, Volume 1, Issue 7, Caribbean Football Union Newsletter Articles Inside Trinidad & Tobago win inaugural CFU Women s U17 Championship The curtain came down on the 2013 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women s Under-17 Tournament on Sunday September 29, at the Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au- Prince, Haiti. T&T Win CFU Women s U17 Trophy Champions T&T pose with the CFU Women s U17 Trophy. Source: CONCACAF Standing tall at the end of the 10 day event was Trinidad & Tobago, who defeated host Haiti 1-0 in the Final and inspired the Soca celebrations into the night, as their vocal fans were delirious with joy. Haiti, however will not feel too hard done by despite the loss, as the team will still qualify for October s CONCACAF Under-17 Women s Qualifiers in Jamaica as one of the two teams advancing from the CFU by virtue of reaching the Final of this Tournament. In a free flowing game, both teams sought the advantage in contradicting styles as Haiti went on the offensive from the opening whistle utilising the flanks, whereas Trinidad & Tobago opted to sit back and wait for the counter-attack through the middle. Khadidra & Khadisha Debesette: The twin force in T&T s Women s Football Domestic football generating excitement in Antigua, Bermuda and St. Lucia In the 40th minute it was Trinidad & Tobago who gained the upper hand through midfielder Chevonne John, who maintained her balance after bypassing her marker, and relayed the ball to Zoe Swift who then found an open Summer Arjoon in the penalty area. She struck the ball firmly past goalkeeper Jonie Gabriel to give the Soca Princesses the lead. Haiti tried their best to seek the equaliser but to no avail as Trinidad & Tobago changed their plan to become more defensive, and distracted the free-flowing Haitians from their game. CFU Gen. Sec. Damien Hughes presents the Trophy to T&T. Source: CONCACAF When the final whistle blew it was joy for the Soca Princesses and a measure of disappointment for Haiti s ladies, but they held their heads high and, true to the spirit of the game, respectfully hugged and shook the hands of the victors. Continues on pg.2

2 Trinidad & Tobago win inaugural CFU Women s U17 Championship Continued from pg.1 In the contest for third place, Puerto Rico defeated Bermuda due to a Monica Ocasio brace in the 20th and 70th minutes. It was a fitting end to a Tournament which saw eight of the Region s best teams (Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic and the US Virgin Islands) give their best and embrace all the positive qualities of football and fair play. The Referees discharged their duties well, as they kept the teams in check and adjudicated fairly throughout the Tournament. The Haitian Football Federation also executed its mandate well, as the Local Organising Committee ensured that all the needs of the teams and officials were met in a timely manner. As the confetti rained down on Trinidad & Tobago s victorious team during their celebrations, CFU General Secretary Damien Hughes said that he was pleased by what he saw during the Tournament. I am very pleased to see these young ladies give their best, and even happier to see the people of Haiti embracing all of us. I now wish the teams the best of luck as they move to compete at the CONCACAF level and I am certain that they will continue to make the Region proud. Match Highlights Tournament MVP, T&T s Summer Arjoon with her trophy. CFU U17 Women s Tournament Runners-Up Haiti. The flags of the top eight teams are displayed: T&T, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Antigua & Barbuda, Dom. Republic, Grenada and USVI. The T&T team celebrate victory. Action from the Final: T&T vs. Haiti. The finalists salute their National Anthems. 2 Teams & Officials greet each other before the Final.

3 3 Khadidra & Khadisha Debesette: The twin force in T&T s Women s Football The Twin-Island Republic s football twosome: Khadisha (left) and Khadidra Debesette. Source: TTFA Football in Trinidad & Tobago is very popular and has established its place among the sports enjoyed by the country s citizens. This globally loved sport has, however, attracted not only the interest but the devotion of a set of twins from Southern Trinidad, who started their football career from as early as nine years old. Khadisha and Khadidra Debesette have represented their country over fifty times, since making their national debut in The siblings are members of the Trinidad & Tobago team which will compete in the 2013 CFU Women s Under-20 Finals scheduled to be played in Jamaica from October They were also part of the team during the preliminary round of the Tournament. Khadidra plays defence while Khadisha is a striker in the national team. While they are prominent football players, they are also avid fans of the international game. Khadidra identifies Real Madrid forward and Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo as the player she most admires, while Khadisha is a fan of Chelsea defender and England international Ashley Cole. According to Trinidad and Tobago s Team Manager Lyndell Hoyte Sanchez, the talent and discipline the twins demonstrate at the national level was evident in their exploits in domestic football. Over the last two years Khadidra and Khadisha have represented La Brea, which is one of the top teams in the National Women s League, where they have scored fifty three goals between them. The Twins display a positive attitude on and off the field and are an inspiration to their teammates and other youth players in our Women s Programme. Khadidra and Khadisha s local club team is the La Brea Angels Women s team, which appears to be the bedrock of their family s love for football, as their father played on the La Brea Angels Men s Team. Khadisha remembers the first time she represented her country in an Under-17 World Cup game held in Trinidad & Tobago which her team won: This feeling was one of the best I have had since the start of my football career. When I walked through the tunnel and saw hundreds of Trinidadians applauding and cheering us on, I felt something I had never felt before, and, best of all, I was part of the winning team! Khadidra was just as elated as her sister about this particularly special moment in her football career. It was really an honour to have represented my country in the FIFA Women s Under-17 World Cup Finals in September, The team played with their heart and soul and as a result we won the match. The twins appear set to continue their record of achievement, as a team, even after football. They are currently enrolled at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, where they are pursuing the Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.

4 4 CFU Member Associations among beneficiaries from special CONCACAF coaching development programme CONCACAF Coaches Course, Phase 2: (L-R) Cayman Islands Development Officer Marcos Tinoco, Sonia Bien Aime Chairperson CFU Women s Committee, Enrique Sanz General Secretary CONCACAF, Hugo Salcedo CONCACAF Director of Development and Lenny Lake CONCACAF Instructor. Source: CFU In an effort to prepare the forty-one countries affiliated to the Confederation for certification at the D License level, CONCACAF has introduced special seminars which were hosted by four countries: Aruba, the Cayman Islands, Grenada and Mexico. The administrators designated to deliver these courses are CONCACAF Director of Development, Hugo Salcedo, and CONCACAF Instructor, Lenny Lake. Both men will educate instructors from the Member Associations, who will themselves be appointed to administer the Course to other coaches selected from their individual Associations. According to the Mr. Salcedo, Coaching Education has taken the first step of a long journey needed to take CONCACAF to higher levels in Competitions, Club Management and Administration. By the end of these four Seminars we will have at least 115 licensed coaches in our 41 Member Associations. Our 12 coaching instructors will be able to count on many of these new licensed coaches in their respective Associations whenever we visit those Associations to conduct Grassroots and D License programs. The first Seminar was conducted in Mexico City where we awarded twenty-eight D License Certificates. In Grand Cayman, where the second course was held, we also awarded twenty-eight Certificates. The third Seminar will be in Aruba and we will finish in Grenada. The main purpose of these events is to reach out to the forty-one (41) Member Associations as quickly as possible and have a direct pipe line within the coaching family in each one of the Member Associations. The first phase of the project was conducted in Mexico in August and included participants from Spanish speaking countries. The second phase occurred in the Cayman Islands, also in August, where participants came from Jamaica, USA, Canada, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Bermuda, USVI, Haiti, and host Cayman Islands. The third phase was conducted in Grenada from September 15-19, with the participants from central Caribbean countries, while the course in Aruba scheduled for September 25-29, will involve participants from the southern Caribbean. This inaugural course is particularly recommended for experienced coaches who have already completed other levels of coaching and have been actively involved in the competitive and developmental aspects of the game of football in the region. The ultimate goal of this Coaches Education Program is to develop CONCACAF Coaching Licensing Programs at the A Level over the next few years. The Course modules included the Role of the Coach Educator, Health and Safety, Principles of Coaching, Coaching Methodology, Goalkeeping, Nutrition, Performance and other elements important for the development of players. Participants were tested on the Theory of the Game, Laws of the Game and Team Management.

5 5 Antigua & Barbuda s Empire Star Girls outshine the rest in local Women s football CFU Member Associations Women s football is a permanent fixture in seasonal football events in all the Member Associations of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), and reflects one of the statutory requirements of the Organization. Antigua & Barbuda is one of the longstanding and prominent Member Associations which supports and promotes Women s football, and is among the eight national teams to have qualified for the CFU Women s Under-17 Finals, which were staged in Haiti from September ABFA Women s Senior League Champions Empire Star Girls. Source: Empire FC website As part of its mission to prepare young women to compete in the international arena, the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) established the ABFA Women s Senior League Competition in March, 2006 with five teams. Since that time, the Competition has progressed and grown extensively and now features twelve teams. Though the League has not benefited from sponsorship for the current season, it was administered successfully with Empire Star Girls winning the league with a total of 41 points, Lady Hoppers took the runners-up spot with thirty-four points, while the efforts of Jennings Challengers ensured that the team placed third with 27 points. Midfielder of the Otto Tigers team, Miska Dias, won two individual awards; the Most Valuable Player and the Golden Boot awards. Ms. Dias scored a total of thirty goals for the season. Karen Warner, Captain of the champion team said the Competition was an intense experience. We played our style of football, The Empire Star Girls team is made up of ten senior players with four junior players, so we don t have a very large pool of players, but despite this, we used our experience to emerge as the winners. We were not the front runners throughout the competition; however, the race is not for the swift, but for those who can endure it to the end and we won in grand style. The Empire Star Girls was formed in The ABFA expects that with the heavy crowd support for the recently-concluded tournament, the fan base for Women s football will continue to expand, and in turn, encourage more teams to participate in the next season.

6 Bermuda s domestic season off and running The 2013 season of the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) Premier Division League Competition began on Saturday September 21, 2013 with defending Champions Devonshire Cougars taking on nine other teams in defence of their title. The ten participating teams are: Somerset Trojans, PHC Zebras, Southampton Rangers, Dandy Town Hornets, North Village Rams, Wolves, Flanagan s Onions, Hamilton Parish Hot Peppers, St David s Warriors and Devonshire Cougars. The competing teams are part of the BFA Premier Division League, which is recognised by the Statutes of the fifty-year old Bermuda Football Association. In stating his own anticipation of the contests to come, President of the Bermuda Football Association, Larry Mussenden, said, The Bermuda FA Premier Division League Competition forms one leg of the coveted Triple Crown, which is the most sought after accomplishment in our domestic football program. The other two competitions which comprise the Triple Crown are the FA Cup and the Friendship Trophy. Winning the Premier Division is seen as testament to the consistency of the Champion throughout the entire season. The Premier Division League Competition is the bedrock of our domestic program, which is run from September to April. Domico Coddington of Triple Crown Champions Devonshire Cougars surrounded by Somerset Trojans at the FA Cup Final. Source islandstats.com Observers of the Bermuda s domestic game have high expectations of Striker Domico Coddington, whose ten (10) goals last season helped the Devonshire Cougars team to be crowned Champions of the Football Association Premier Division League Competition. Similarly, Robert Richardson of last season s defeated finalists, PHC Zebras, is expected to make a decisive impact on the course of this season s competition. Robert Richardson of Premier league runners up PHC Zebras being closely watched by Reggie Lowe of Southampton Rangers and Jonny Ball of PHC. Source: islandstats.com Central Castries FC down Dennery FC to win St. Lucia s Royal Club Under-20 Football Tournament The Royal Club Under-20 Football Tournament came to an exciting conclusion on Saturday September 21, with a double - header at Mindoo Phillip Park. In the third place play-off, Anse La Raye FC defeated Gros Islet FC on penalties 4-3, after playing to a goalless draw. The Gros Islet FC had the better of the exchanges, but was unable to convert their opportunities. However, in the ensuing penalty shootout the Anse La Raye FC players held their composure and secured the third place trophy. The Final between Central Castries FC and Dennery FC lived up to all expectations, as both teams took the fight to each other in a fast - paced and exciting encounter. Though the old cliché is goals win matches, this was not to be in normal time as the players from Dennery FC squandered numerous scoring opportunities particularly in the second half. When the final whistle went neither team had found the back of the net. Action from the Royal Club U-20 Final: Central Castries FC vs. Dennery FC. Source: St. Lucia F.A. Dennery FC was made to rue its missed chances, when, in the resulting penalty shootout Central Castries prevailed, winning 4 2, thus laying claim to the inaugural Royal Club Under- 20 Football Trophy. At the conclusion of the match, Awards were presented to Best Striker Marlon Gilbert, of Dennery FC, Best Midfielder, Aloysius Fredrick of Dennery FC, Best Goal Keeper, Chav St. Clair of Gros Islet, Best Defensive Player, Kenvic Polius of Dennery FC, Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, Janai Clifford of Central Castries FC and the Anse La Raye Fair Play Award was presented to Dennery FC. 6 Action from the Royal Club U-20 Final: Anse La Raye vs. Gros Islet. Source: St. Lucia F.A.

7 7 Trinidad & Tobago F.A. unveils new logo and appoints new Head Coach Our Partners For further information please contact the CFU General Secretariat, CFU Communications Dept The Towers 10th Floor 25 Dominica Dr Kingston 5 Jamaica Tel: +1(876) / 4657 Fax: +1(876) media@cfufootball.org