EXCITING START FOR YOUNG ONES AT TTFA GIRLS PLAY FESTIVAL
EXCITING START FOR YOUNG ONES AT TTFA GIRLS PLAY FESTIVAL
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association hosted the first edition of the Girls Play Football Festival on Saturday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, attracting just under 100 girls between the ages of 6-12 from various communities.
The festival which lasted for three hours was a fun-filled one as the youngsters were given an introduction to the game and engaged in coaching drills and small-sided games as coaches from the TTFA Technical Department and members of the TTFA U-15 Girls High Performance team oversaw the morning’s activities.
Minister of Sport and Community Development, The Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe also paid a courtesy visit, engaging in a meet and greet with the players before taking in the closing exhibition match between members of the U-15 Girls Team and a Combined Coaches and Ex-Senior Women’s Team outfit.
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TTFA Technical Director Anton Corneal described the proceedings as the ideal start for the young girls.
“I think it’s a good initiative by FIFA because what they are hoping to do is grow Women’s football not just in our region but in the world. It’s really directed to us as we need to grow our women’s football by three hundred percent. We don’t have a big enough base and we don’t have enough young girls playing,” Corneal said. “We are showing a lot of interest in the first of a Girls Play program and I hope that with this here well be able to filter girls into academies and also into some of our elite programs.
“It’s just about having fun (at the Festival). We brought out the Higher Performance Program U-15 team to players between them so it can ignite a dream. This here is the foundation and it’s an opportunity for us to see some type of talent, what talent we have and what needs to be done and how there can be a specific pathway for girls football,” Corneal added.
The Girls Play program is being funded by the Women’s Football Campaign (WFC), one of FIFA’s Women’s Football Development Programmes. The WFC is a tailor-made resource to promote the game, creating awareness and empowering the girls through football in a friendly and safe environment. The program will continue as a caravan visiting various communities in weeks to follow. The WFC is a tailor-made resource to promote the game, creating awareness, and empowering girls through football in a friendly and safe environment.
Women’s football is a top priority for FIFA, and central to that commitment is the growth and development of the game. The positive impacts of participating in football go far beyond the pitch and we want to spread that impact by increasing the number of women and girls playing the beautiful game around the world. With this objective in mind, FIFA has launched the Women’s Football Campaign (WFC) as a means of supporting member association development initiatives and boosting participation.
The second edition of the Girls Play festival takes place at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tobago on December 3rd.
