WITH Guyana’s female senior National team – the Lady Jags – preparing for the May 24-28 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s Caribbean Cup, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Wayne Forde told Chronicle Sport that the squad will feature a mixture of

both local and overseas talent, representing the Land of Many Waters.
When the GFF hired Mark Rodrigues in 2010 to resuscitate the country’s women’s football programme, players with heritage ties to Guyana playing collegiate and professional league were assembled.

Rodrigues, due to the lack of any properly organised women’s football league and matches, was forced build a roster with predominantly overseas players.
“This time we’ll be going with a mixture of both local and overseas players,” explained Forde, as the GFF prepares to encamp the local players and will soon announce the overseas players called for their CFU engagement next month.
The GFF recently appointed Tricia Munroe, a former national player, as its Women’s Development Officer, with Forde making it clear that every federation is mandated to not only invest in women’s football, but to do so meaningfully and to encourage growth in the sport.

“We’re not at that place where we could send a local squad for international participation, or have a predominantly local squad. We had a women’s developmental league and that helped to kick-start our plans for women’s football and I think our Technical Director Mr. (Ian) Greenwood, has a fantastic plan for women’s football, so yes, we have called overseas players,” Forde said.
The Lady Jags in 2010 had qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup; a feat that is yet to be accomplished by Golden Jaguars (male senior national team).
Facing Trinidad, hosts and eventual winners Mexico and Canada, Guyana failed to pick up a win, but put the world on notice that Lady Jags will be a force to be reckoned with in the Caribbean.

Despite reaching the penultimate round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Quilters the ‘Golden Jaguars’ are yet to feature in a major CONCACAF/FIFA tournament.
However, in-fighting and a stagnant GFF which led to the installation of a Normalisation Committee in 2014, saw the team miss several regional and international tournaments between 2010 and 2014 until the Clinton Urling-led body decided to bring Rodrigues for a second stint and this time the team reached the Olympic Qualifiers.
The Lady Jags had qualified for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in Houston, Texas, where they were grouped with Canada, Trinidad and Guatemala.

Guyana went down to Canada (5-0) and Trinidad (6-0), but won their first game at a CONCACAF tournament when they defeated Guatemala 2-1.
“The aim is to have our best possible time at any time representing Guyana and if that means having a predominantly overseas team, then so be it. But our federation’s mandate is to have women’s football at a place where we could see more girls locally representing us.

The Lady Jags would’ve done us proud when everything wasn’t seem to be going right for us, so we’re happy to see that they are properly prepared,” Forde highlighted.
Akilah Castello was named head coach and will be assisted by recently-appointed GFF’s Women’s Development Officer Trisha Munroe.