The revision of the strategic plan of the St. Lucia Football Association Inc. (SP2020) led to a resultant extrapolation in the form of a unique and very specifically tailored strategic plan exclusively for female

football. The special efforts of the tacticians and technical developers of the female game at the SLFA seemed to be bearing fruit as the U15 girls stormed into the second round of the CONCACAF Female U15 Championship. 

Months of intense preparation spearheaded by the efforts of head coach Jamil Joseph and assistant coach Dennis Didier paid dividends as St. Lucia finished the group stage with a 100% win record. With comprehensive victories over Guyana, Bahamas and a specifically audacious 4 nil thrashing of the Cayman Islands, team St. Lucia marched into round two overflowing with confidence.

Much of the team’s success was to be credited to a watertight defence which had, up until that point, only been permeated by a single strike on goal. The defence which was well marshalled by the experience and composure of Raquel John and was also well complemented by an electric strike force privileged to be graced by the flamboyant and extremely talented Krysan St. Louis as well as the youthful effervescence of Anika Louis.

Despite Team St. Lucia’s glaring temerity, their progress was abruptly halted in the second round of the competition by a Bermudan team which was equally as intrepid in attack as were the St. Lucians. Team St. Lucia however will feel rather unfortunate to concede the most unlikely and the most untidy of finishes in the first half of play. However, despite running siege on the Bermudan defensive half in the second stanza of the game, Team St. Lucia were chief culprits of blatant profligacy. Their lack of conviction in front of goal came at the expense of a victory in the game and by extension progress in the competition. The defeat at the hands of Bermuda is agonizing reminiscent of the U17 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, where their St. Lucian compatriots suffered a similar fate.

Despite elimination in the second round of the competition, Team St. Lucia can take away many positives from this tournament. Clearly, female football and especially youth football have taken tremendous steps forward on the small island of St. Lucia.