Girl’s and women’s football has never been as vibrant as it is this season in Cayman.
The established teams like Latinas, Future SC and Sunset have had to make way for a newly formed side that is dominating the league.
Womens United is aptly named as most of the members are school and social friends who formed this season and collectively have made a big impression in their debut season.
Unbeaten in 12 games, they defeated Latinas 2-0 over the weekend with goals from Shanice Monteith and Ashani Francis-Collins.
Considering this is their debut season and many qualify for their Girls United Under-15 side, plus most had not even kicked a ball competitively this time last year, they have gelled exceptionally well. The island’s top striker Shenel Gall is a Womens United founder and national captain Krishan Welcome is also a club member.
Critics say that, of course, they would do well if most of the island’s internationals play for them, but that was not so when they formed.
Coached by Bobby McClaren, Womens United have come on so fast that many of them are now in the national programme, which he also coaches.
It’s a Saturday morning and the girls have been training at Agape since 8am. Not the typical choice of time and day for the average teenage girl, but this bunch is really committed.
Somali Hall, 16, plays midfield and forward. The former Future SC player has scored eight times so far this season.
‘I’m proud that we’ve won every game,’ she says. ‘I think we train hard, which helps us to be so good. Three times a week. We work hard all the time. I don’t mind training at eight on a Saturday morning because I love the game.
‘It’s not true that we’re all national players,’ she adds. ‘We just train hard.’
Brianna Hydes, 13, is a left back. A former Future and Elite player, she’s wearing a Manchester United uniform and like Alex Ferguson’s side puts Womens United’s success down to their terrific work ethic.
‘It all comes from effort,’ she says. ‘If you really want it and come out to train, you will improve. It’s about how much you want it. Most of us are national players but there are a lot of youngsters too. We help them to get higher than what they are.’
So how did Womens United start? ‘We just decided to form our own team. We put the team together and asked for help.’
Little Beshae Terry, 11, recently joined the side and is coming on well. She plays for Girls United. ‘I joined about two months ago,’ she says. ‘I didn’t play for anyone before. I’d played a little bit at Cayman Prep and High and joined because I wanted to play more. I play left back. It’s exciting. Football is pretty much the only sport I play.’
Keeper Emily Kelly, 13, is nearly 6ft tall so inevitably got stuck in goal by Bernie Bush who introduced her to the position. Formerly with St Ignatius, she wasn’t thrilled at first about going between the sticks, but after a few weeks really got into it.
Kelly shares the position with national keeper Judy Rivers. Kelly has only conceded one – a penalty – of the three goals that the side has let in this season. They have smashed in 35 all told. Kelly also keeps for Girls United.
In many matches she sees so little action that it’s hard to maintain her concentration. ‘I do make sure that I keep aware of the game, what’s going on and talk to my team-mates.
‘I left Catholic because I felt more comfortable with coach Bobby and felt I could learn more because I want to be a professional goalkeeper.
‘My favourite team is Chelsea – and I like Arsenal – but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it that high.’
Ashani Francis-Collins, 13, is a midfielder and a former Catholic player. She enjoys the vibe in the side.
‘With all my team-mates it’s like one big happy family,’ she says. ‘Everyone supports each other through everything and they don’t get angry at people and they just help them through difficult times they may have.
‘Coach Bobby has improved my game a lot. He’s shown me how to concentrate a lot more and how good I can be if I apply myself more.
‘Hopefully, this is not just a past-time, I’d love to make it pro. My favourite men’s team is Manchester United but if I want to go pro I think I’ll definitely have to go to Brazil.’
McClaren is pleasantly surprised by the commitment and dedication shown by his young charges.
‘I think the most important ingredients are the attitude of these girls,’ he says. ‘Last year when most of these girls came to the national team they weren’t first choice players.
‘They came and worked hard. It’s been a year I’ve worked with the majority of them. They’re the ones who formed the club and asked me to assist.
‘I wasn’t coaching women’s football before, just Roma Football Club at the time. Coaching the girls required a full-time commitment and I chose to work with them.
‘I strongly believe the future of football in Cayman lies with these girls. So far they have been the most successful football team.
‘The average age of this team is 16. Yet they’ve won all 12 matches, scored 35 and conceded only three. That’s phenomenal. And in four or five years from now I believe they can take it to the highest level if they continue along the same trend with their work ethic.’
Cayman women’s Under-17 did exceptionally well in the World Cup qualifiers in November. They won two and lost 2-1 to the mighty Jamaica who went through.
On the strength of that McClaren feels they have enormous potential. ‘That international exposure has really made them very confident in their ability and hence they are now working harder to improve.
‘One thing I like about these girls is that many times on an off day from practice I still have to be here because I get a phone call and it’s someone who wants to work on her heading or ball control.
‘I’m always there for them. It’s not me, it’s them making the request for these sort of things. Since I’ve been in Cayman this is the only team that has made those kind of requests. It really shows in their games.
‘Recently we have been doing a lot of work in front of goal and it shows in their games because in the last three matches we’ve scored 14 or 15 goals and not conceded any. They have so much pride in what they do and I’m really proud of them.’
Yes, but his critics say that forming a team whose nucleus are the island’s top players, including the leading striker, of course they’re going to do well.
McClaren is undaunted. ‘In regard of what the critics are saying, regardless of who are in the team now, they are still very inexperienced who are playing sides who are more than twice their age.
‘Some teams they compete against have kids who are older than them! They have been playing long before these girls and dominating the senior league.
‘What is important is that these girls were not Premier League players when they came into the programme last year.
‘Now we have put in the work and they are considered Premier players now is a testament to the work they have put in.
‘So the problem is not really that they are national players, it’s that they have put in the work and been rewarded. The critics should look at the work they’re putting in.’
McClaren’s coaching philosophy is innovative and insightful. For example, he put little Beshae Terry, a total novice, in the side at left-back even though she is right footed.
‘We try not to use the word ‘weak’. We don’t want anyone to feel they have a weak foot or are weak in a particular position.
‘What I try to do is get them comfortable in positions where they might not be particularly comfortable in. So then they won’t be rigid if they’re right footed, that’s the only place they can play. We do left-foot only sessions and left footed players at the same time do right-foot only.
‘We focus on that particular area. Even Brianna Hydes who is left footed, I have put her in right-back situations. All this has slowly but surely helped them to become two-footed players.
‘Brittany Schirn and Alyssa Chin are prime examples. These girls are scoring goals now with their left foot which was completely unheard of two months ago.
‘That’s one of the emphasis I have here, to develop two-footed players.’
McClaren sees a world of opportunity for them if they persevere. As for going pro: ‘I won’t make that call now, Ron. I know definitely right now Emily Kelly, Shenel Gall, Shanice Monteith, Alyssa Chin, Brittany Schirn, Ashani Francis-Collins, Brianna Hydes, Taceta Berry… all of them right now have opportunities for scholarship opportunities.
‘That is one of the things I’m working very hard to develop for them. I’ve tried really hard to develop a professional environment that more or less will replicate a college setting.
‘They have come up against the best and shown they have the quality. College is what they’re looking at and when they reach that level maybe then I can answer you and say if they can go pro.
‘By the time they become eligible for college many of them will have lots of choices as to which college they want to go to.’
Emily’s dad Kirk Kelly waited in his truck whilst his daughter trained. A former bodybuilder, he knows all about commitment.
‘With this programme, considering it’s only a year and change Emily’s been with it, she has improved tremendously,’ he says.
‘Considering she’s so new to it, she’s doing well. She’s been blessed with some height and is definitely getting better.
‘The coaches here see the potential for her to go further. School wise I ensure that is priority. I’m proud of her and one of her biggest cheerleaders even if I can’t get to all the games.
‘How it was formed was Mr Bush putting together a crew that is basically from all works, different schools and backgrounds, the whole nine yards.
‘There is no strife there, everybody likes each other. The name is right there, Womens United. It’s great to see them working out there as one.
‘The discipline is there, dependability, the circle of trust. Emily thinks highly of coach Bobby and he’s one of her biggest supporters.’
Other Womens United players who deserve a mention, include Chelsea Bush, Shakina Bush, Giselle Johnson, Ashley Borde and Nicole Guiffre.
Bernie Bush was instrumental in the forming of Womens United. ‘Shenel and Kimberley Peter approached me about a year ago and asked me to coach a new team they wanted to form.
‘I said I couldn’t because I’d just started to develop the national programme which I’ve got a four year timetable to put it where I want to put it.
‘I said I would not coach but would ask Bobby McClaren to because he was not attached to any women’s club.
‘I also said I’d get them sponsorship -Western Union – and get them a constitution and get them organised. Mark Scotland’s company, ARCP, sponsors Girls United.’
Bush is astounded by their success. ‘It’s been amazing considering they’ve only got three older girls on the team; that’s Judy Rivers, Krishan Welcome and Shakina (his daughter).
‘There’s been matches when they haven’t had any of those girls in the side and won. That’s what I’ve been surprised about. I thought Sunset and Elite would have gotten to them.
‘But Elite is in a rebuilding stage. I put a lot of sweat forming Future so I still cheer for them and I’ve got three of my girls in Latinas as well.
‘A woman from another club said to me that Womens United have brought Cayman football up another level and that’s what I’m happy to see and that’s good for the country.’
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