SVGFF names 24 in provisional Senior Women’s Football Squad

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Football federation (SVGFF) has released the names of 24 female footballers as part of a provisional squad to train in preparation for competition in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers.

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will compete in Group E of the 2023 Concacaf world cup qualifiers.

Other members can be added to the squad as the technical staff will continue its recruitment campaign for other eligible locally-based or overseas players.

Included in the squad announced last week by the secretariat of the SVGFF are goal keepers – Altica Benn, Marsha Marshall and Tishana James.

The defenders named are Amalis Marshall, Ashanti Douglas, Kendra Findlay, Rea Dawn Nanton, Samayaa Connell, Shanyah Peters, Shelly Browne, Zaneke Kizzy George and Zeyana Afiya Charles.

The midfielders comprise Ashante Browne, Denella Creese, Dionte Delpesche, Esreen Dell Quow, Hollester Jazzy Browne, Jessica Miller, Kaywana Byron, Kitanna Richards and Kristiane Tete Williams.

And, Areka Hooper, Denel Creese and Teohsa Culzac, are the strikers so far selected.

The management team includes: Shevorn Trimmingham (manager), Cornelius Huggins ( head coach), Alnif Williams (assistant coach) and Urtis Blackett (goal keeper coach).

The qualifiers which were originally set for last month have been pushed back to February and April, 2023.

St Vincent and the Grenadines will play their first match against Cuba in Cuba, on February 16, with the second slated to take place at home on February 20, against Haiti.

The Vincentian women are to host the British Virgin Islands on April 6, and six days later, will be away to Honduras.

Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla are in Group A. In Group B are Costa Rica, Guatemala, St Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands and Curacao.

Group C comprises Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Grenada, and the Cayman Islands. While Panama, El Salvador, Barbados, Belize, and Aruba comprise Group D.

Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica and the Turks and Caicos Islands are in Group F.

Following the first phase of competition, six groups will go forward to join the USA and Canada. These eight teams will then be placed into two groups of four each.

The two top places from each of the two groups will qualify for the semi-finals and get direct tickets to the FIFA world cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023; whereas, the two third places will advance to the inter-continental play off.

At the end of the inter- continental play off, the winner earns a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2024 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Additionally, the runner-up and the third place finisher will progress to a Concacaf Olympic play in. The winner of the play-in, gets a spot in the Paris Olympics and the 2024 Concacaf Gold Cup.