The adage of goals win matches holds true regardless of dominance of ball possession. T&T clearly had the higher percentage of ball possession. However, they failed to convert any of the many chances they had to score.
On the other hand, Ecuador capitalised on one of their very few opportunities and earned a spot in the 2015 women’s World Cup in Canada.
It is understandable that the players are devastated by their three (twice at CONCACAF and the Intercontinental playoff) missed opportunities to qualify for the 2015 World Cup. However, at the same time 2014 must be remembered as a positive year for women’s football in T&T.
In January, the Under 20 team just failed to qualify for the 2014 U20 Women’s World Cup in Canada losing 7-3 to Costa Rica in extra time after leading 3-2 with five minutes to play in normal time. The national U15 team finished 3rd in the inaugural U15 CONCACAF championship beating Honduras 5-2 after losing 1-0 to the eventual winner Canada. In August the senior national team was crowned the inaugural Caribbean Cup Champions beating Jamaica 1-0 at the Hasley Crawford Stadium.
Looking ahead the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has to build upon the momentum created throughout the year, climaxing with the stellar effort of the senior national team. The TTFA have to factor into their strategic plan a clearly defined road map for the integrated development of women’s football.
A good starting point from a governance perspective would be an overall assessment of the status of the game. This assessment should be able to provide hard data about:
• the number of persons playing the game
• factors influencing and or discouraging participation
• availability of facilities
• a viable league structure that will attract players
• review of the school system
• funding
• coaching
• media and marketing
A postmortem of the performance of the national senior team campaign for Canada 2015 must be undertaken to assess the strengths and weaknesses. This report should be made public to allow for transparency and accountability. It may also raise public confidence in the ability of the TTFA.
From a strategic perspective was enough time afforded for effective preparation. For instance why were there no practice matches against worthy opponents before the CONCACAF qualifiers?
There was almost a one month break between the end of the Caribbean Cup and the start of the CONCACAF qualifiers. Even more importantly would a practice match at home before the return leg against Ecuador been strategically useful in terms of acclimatization?
Secondly, the international embarrassment the team and the country experienced when it arrived in the US for the start of the CONCACAF qualifiers cannot be overlooked. The source of the fiasco must be addressed and ensured that it is never repeated.
If the issue of financing is not addressed by the TTFA as it seeks to rebrand itself, the full development of football will continue to suffer. The TTFA has to get its act in order and not depend on the state to regularly come to its assistance as happened in 2014.
The U17 and U20 teams must be kept together to form the basis of future national teams especially for the 2019 World Cup. The technical staff must be identified and given the green light and resources to develop the team for the next World Cup. Models of the American and even Costa Rican system should be looked at but importantly not necessarily to be copied without good reason.
The primary and secondary school leagues must be reviewed and improved especially as at these levels the players will be honing their basic skills. It is not only important to have proper development of players’ skills but coaches at this level must also be on par with the overall women development programme.
The management of the league has to find creative ways to promote the girl’s league. Every effort must be made by the organisers to get more sponsorship, media coverage and overall mileage for the girl’s league. It will be great accomplishment if the status of the game can be elevated to that of the boy’s. However, at the onset any improvement will be welcomed.
More effort has to be given the development of the TT WoLF. Greater visibility through funding, better facilities, media coverage and public buy-in can add to existing status of the league. Women should also be encouraged become coaches and match officials.
There is no doubt that talent and ability is abound as demonstrated by the various teams that represented T&T in 2014. The challenge now falls upon the administrators to ensure that the momentum of 2014 is mobilized into clearly defined road maps tied to specific goals.