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Thu, Mar

Typography

SHAKIRA DUNCAN and Jodie Redgrave are two of the foreign players who are in Trinidad, getting ready for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL).

The pair were involved in a warm-up match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Tuesday, for the WPL XI against the Trinidad and Tobago team.

Duncan is a 25-year-old striker from Jamaica while Redgrave is a 22-year-old defender from England.

Duncan, speaking about the League, which is due to begin this month, stated, “it’s a tremendous feeling because I think that if this goes the right way, it can do a lot.

“It can open up the doors for the Caribbean, for the younger players coming up,” she added. “So we’re looking forward for this.”

Admitting that she has played in Trinidad before, Duncan said, “my last (participation) was for the national team when we did the qualifiers for the CFU here.

“I’ve been taking a break because I was exhausting,” she noted. “I had offers to go places, but then this came up and I jumped on that opportunity. I think it’s a tremendous thing that (the organisers) are doing for the Caribbean.”

Redgrave, who plays as a left-back, lives in Manchester, England and proudly declared that she is a fan of Manchester City.

Asked if this is her first time in Trinidad, she responded, “yes. I’ve never been outside of Europe.”

She pointed out that she is enjoying her stay so far. “Everybody has been so welcoming,” she said. “The heat is not too bad at the moment.”

With regards to the inaugural tournament, Redgrave said, “I’m very happy. Usually, in England, the league players get an opportunity to travel. So it’s a great opportunity.”

She also hopes to promote the tournament when she gets back home to England.

“I want to promote that,” she stressed. “I’m going to get in touch with other coaches and the friends I’ve got, try to promote it and make it bigger and better.”

The Draft is set to take place today, from 3 pm, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo and one of the coaches who will be involved is Derek Arneaud.

According to Arneaud, “I am really blessed to be a part of this because I feel that with all that’s going on in Trinidad, it could be something good for the young ladies.

“With all that (the journalists) have to write about, this will be something good for the young ladies and it’s going to build. The next couple of years, you will be surprised.”

The Trinidad-born Arneaud, who attended St Augustine Secondary (then Senior Comprehensive), also gave a brief insight about himself.

“I (left) on a scholarship and went to East Stroudsburg University for four years. I (graduated) and I went back and coached for 20 years at East Stroudsburg, in Pennsylvania.”

He continued, “I did a lot of things with international players. I was in charge of the US Olympic team in 2012. I know a lot of what’s going on in Trinidad and I want to give back. So that’s why I’m here.”