Elite Sporting Club can boast one of the most vibrant football programmes in the Cayman Islands, highlighted by how well their men’s and youth sides always do and also by the fact that the Elite women are double champs, securing league and FA Cup championships last week.
Elite Under-17 girls were dominant too. It all augurs well for the West Bay club.
Martha Godet is president of Elite Sporting Club and closely involved in the women’s programme. Elite have plenty to celebrate as the women beat Scholars International in the FA Cup final, 3-0, and then had to beat Scholars again three days later to secure the league title ahead of Sunset. They did that 4-0 and all seven goals from the two matches were scored by the amazing Shanelle Frederick.
The 16-year-old striker is joining top women’s club FC Indiana in August to finish her studies and eventually become a full-time pro. Shenel Gall made her debut with FC Indiana last week so Frederick will at least have a fellow Caymanian to help settle in quickly. Frederick blasted in 19 goals which was nine ahead of second top scorer Brittni Ebanks of Future. Sunset’s Gisele Gamba (7), Sarah Pinches (6) and Charlotte Horne (5) were the next top scorers. The only game Frederick missed, against Future, Elite drew 0-0.
Martha Godet is pleased for Frederick but stresses that there are plenty of other quality players too at Elite. “Shanelle brings energy to her team, therefore she will be missed tremendously, however we are happy to see her move on to places with bigger and better opportunities,” said Godet. “She aspires to play professional football and she has all the necessary skills to achieve that ambition.
“Shanelle does not have to place much effort in executing goals, she has a natural talent. Her strength and intelligence becomes a natural role for her. Of course she must also focus on the academic aspect of her life, a great footballer with a degree in hand can take her far in life. I can see her fitting in well with the best teams overseas and excelling, without a doubt.
“Chelsea Greene, Courtisha Ebanks and Shanice Monteith will also be heading off to pursue their education overseas this summer. Jessica Ebanks, who is also one of my strongest players and currently attending school overseas, will be finishing up in December.
“We do have many talented players with great potential here in our small country who we believe in and as we move forward, many opportunities will come along. This is only the beginning and with the support of their coaches and parents we can help them achieve good results.”
With so many players unavailable next season, Elite may not be as strong. But Godet is not daunted. “My aim is to continue to teach them not only to play football, but also discipline, respect, aspiration for a better future and overall honesty.
“Against Scholars in the final match, I prepared my team mentally and physically, although anything could have happened, this is football. One day you can have a good game and next everything can go wrong.”
Godet is pleased with how well women’s football has developed in the last few seasons, under technical director Thiago Cunha. “The current structure for the running of the league is much better, we also have many players who are motivated to be better and stronger players for the opportunities such as scholarship openings. They must be ready for whenever that opportunity arises.
“The support from the Cayman Islands Football Association and Cayman Islands Referees’ Association overseeing and making sure all runs smoothly makes a big difference in this era. The support of parents and fans also motivates and encourages the players to persevere on performance.”
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