Trinis can captain too!
By Carla Rauseo (T&T Guardian)
Trinbagonians are yearning for some positivity in football. The sport has been plagued by failure upon failure, “steups” upon “steups,” corruption, mismanagement, and the ignorant, self-serving attitudes of administration and players. At the opening ceremony of the Fifa Women’s Under 17 World Cup Tournament at the National Stadium, I thought I was in for more of the same disappointment and series of “steupses” that emanates from every spectator’s lips during a Soca Warrior experience. Yet still I went, with some sliver of hope for something different, something optimistic and encouraging. It appears that plebians in uncovered stands are actually invisible, and therefore we had to watch the backs of performers from across the field and track while they entertained those in the covered stands.
However, it was not that bad as the entire “ceremony” barely lasted the length of Maximus’ Dan’s “Soca Warrior” and seemed to have been put together the day before. So really and truly us invisible plebs did not miss much. Despite this the crowd was ripe with uncertain anticipation. Publicity on this female team had been so poor, it was almost as if coach Even Pellerud had sheltered his girls from the wrath of the media and public opinion, keeping them a tight little secret, waiting to burst open at the start of the tournament. However, the name chosen for this team, the Soca Princesses, and their slogan “Girls can kick too!” leaves the fan with the impression that this little secret is very delicate. In one breath, the girls are promoted as being no different from the boys, yet in the next breath, it implies that they should be handled with care.
The Under-17 boys are not called Soca Princes, so why should our girls be called Soca Princesses? It is just another example of the underground sexism in sport so ingrained in our society. Furthermore, “Soca Princesses” is just way too painstakingly awkward to say. Get rid of it. Let us all be Warriors! The opening match against Chile seemed to be the first time many of the spectators saw or gained knowledge of any of the of the abilities of the players, with the exception of the captain, Lauren Schmidt. Her appointment to the captaincy was an interesting, and certainly surprising one, at least for me. Essentially a “foreigner,” complete with accent, albeit with a Trinidadian mother, I could not help but think that she certainly was not an accurate representation of a young female Trinidadian footballer.
Despite her commendable public speaking, and possible good leadership skills, her appointment seemed a poor example to a public that already continues to think that foreign is better. “Girls can kick too!” How about “Trinis can captain too!” Despite these shortcomings, I was so pleasantly surprised by the girls. The warm-up is a spectator’s first impression of the team and reflects its level of discipline and organisation. Commendations to their trainer who created a scientifically sound and well-structured warm-up. In game play, the girls did not disappoint and my skepticism was replaced by renewed hope. The innocence and passion with which they played was striking and their energy contagious. Untainted by typical adult team politics, it was evident that their sole desire was to enjoy the experience and play their best. A true pleasure to watch—the fan could not help feel their emotion on the field and live vicariously through them.
Despite his many constraints, including a lack of fields on which to train, the limited time he had, the different cultures, experiences and skills of these girls from many different locations, among many other obstacles, I think Even Pellerud has done well with the cards he has been dealt. This team has such great potential, good fundamental skill, although lacking in play making ability. If they can continue to train together, I feel they can really be successful. However, I fear this success will not materialise, as the foreign-based players will return to their foreign clubs, and our local girls will probably receive scholarships to universities, disbanding this team which may wither to just a fond memory in their lives. What is there for senior women’s football? We hardly hear of our senior women’s team. This tournament was tremendous for women’s junior football, and for women in sport in general, and we may now have a junior programme with great potential.
But after these girls are lost to scholarships and greater opportunity, what is left as a feeder programme for our senior women? Are we just going to import our players again? If so, then I fear our team will never be at its best because players need time to train together, to mesh. In the words of Babe Ruth, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” Sound familiar? Teamwork, and team character and culture take time to develop. Nevertheless, I hope Mr Roberts will heed the call to support our female sport programmes. The challenge is consistently keeping women’s sports in the public eye. According to Judy Foudy, it is not just a four-year affair with the Olympics or the World Cup. It should be an everyday presence. It is also my hope that these young female footballers continue to make a stand as women in the world of sport so that other young girls can achieve their dreams. After all, they are “Soca Warriors—win or lose, they are fighters!”
