By Neto Baptiste
Seven teams are set to take part in a rejuvenated and restructured senior women’s football competition starting at the end of January.
Chair of the competition’s committee within the Antigua & Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Gwen Salmon, during an interview with OBSERVER media, listed multiple-time champions, Lady Hoppers and Tigress, as two of the seven registered teams.
The others are Fort Road, Grenades, Trendsetters, Wadadli United and Cutting Edge.
Salmon said the current director of women’s football, US-based coach Lisa Cole, is in the process of verifying the rosters and ensuring all is in place.
“Lisa, who is the director of women’s football, she has looked at the rosters because we had asked the players
[national]
to indicate the teams they wish to play for. So our next course of action is to send the rosters to the teams showing the players desirous of playing for their clubs, and whether or not they are pleased with the roster or if we have to hold a next meeting or if they need to speak to the players again,” she said.
Salmon revealed also that the body opted to forgo the planned draft which would have seeded the senior national players after those involved opted to evenly spread themselves across the seven participating teams.
She said however the recently held event provided an avenue for over 60 others players to showcase their talent.
“We actually thought we wouldn’t have a lot of players turning out because some individuals had to work and stuff like that but in the end it worked out for us and we got the numbers. It was like a historical night for us to see all those girls coming back and wanting to be part of the women’s football fraternity again and wanting to play,” she said.
As venues, the ABFA vice president said they are currently looking at two locations.
“We are looking at the ARG as one of the venues and we are also looking at the turf as the lighting should be completed by that time and if not, we probably will be in the ARG for a week or two before we move up there but those are the two possible venues that we are looking to start,” Salmon said. The league is scheduled to start on January 31st.