Barbadian women footballer are growing increasingly disheartened by what they see as a steady neglect of the women’s game locally, pointing to prolonged inactivity, poor planning, and a lack of communication from the sport’s administrators.
It has now been more than 17 months – 538 days – since the senior women’s national team last played a match – a 4-2 loss to St Vincent and the Grenadines on December 5, 2023.
Meanwhile, the top-tier domestic competition has been dormant for 229 days although the Barbados Football Association (BFA) originally announced a March 8 start for this year. That launch date passed 77 days ago, with no official explanation or timeline offered to the players for when the league will now begin.
“It almost seems like they just don’t care. There’s no reason why, after all this time, they couldn’t or can’t find a way to get the tournament started. It feels like we’re just supposed to watch the day pass and assume we’re not playing,” national forward Acacia Small told MIDWEEK SPORT.
No coach
There has been no announcement on the new head coach or technical staff since the previous management of the women’s senior national team resigned 209 days ago.
However, Barbados are scheduled to compete in the CONCACAF Women’s Qualifiers in four months. Preparations for the Under-14 Girls’ Caribbean Football Union
tournament in August have also been minimal, players said.
Ashanne Thompson, 28, the senior team’s most recent vice-captain, said the lack of structure and updates had taken a toll on the players’ motivation.
“We’re trying to stay positive and train on our own, but it’s hard. There’s no communication, no fixtures, nothing. It’s like we’ve been forgotten,” she said. “We’ve worked so hard to build something and now we’re just sitting, waiting, in silence.”
The long layoff is not only affecting current players but also alienating past contributors to the sport. Former national captain Kamillah Burke, now retired due to the long period of inactivity, said the disconnect had left her feeling abandoned by the very game she gave her life to.
“Football was my everything, but I feel like football left me,” Burke said. “It honestly feels like the people who are supposed to care just don’t.”
Experienced centre back Alyssa Yard, a veteran defender who has not played for Barbados since the 3-0 defeat to Belize on April 12, 2022, shared her frustration with the stagnation.
“This situation is not really unusual, but it
is frustrating because we were on a pretty consistent run internationally as well,” Yard said.
Expressing a deep weariness with the recurring delays and lack of progress, she added: “I’m just trying to be patient and not let the frustration get the best of us. But yeah, it’s been going off from the time I have known about football, so some of these issues really shouldn’t still be happening. It doesn’t seem like it should be this hard to maintain a league and make it more competitive.”
Disappointed
She also touched on the emotional toll the uncertainty has taken.
“Everyone just sounds really fed up. Disappointed, but not surprised, which is probably even worse. Right now, I’m in between. I love football and I want to keep playing. I think I could play longer, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”
The impact is being felt across all levels. In 2022, the BFA Women’s Super League once featured nine teams and a $20 000 first prize. A year later, the BFA Women’s Premier League had seven teams, with the money dropping to $7 000. In contrast, this year’s rebranded BFA Tropic Ace Women’s Tournament has just four confirmed teams and, as of now, no official start date and no announced prize money.
Barbados have also plummeted in the FIFA Women’s Rankings, sliding from 123rd in 2020 to 160th in 2024.
“There’s nothing here that gives the impression that women are equally important or prioritised in this sport in Barbados,” said 23-year-old Small.
“We don’t even know when we’re going to play. It’s like the women do not have a season.”
Despite the BFA’s claim that it “remains committed to female football development”, players are demanding urgent action to restore momentum, structure and fairness to the women’s game before even more ground is lost. (JC)
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