The Female Football League, which had been in progress for several weeks, climaxed on Sunday evening, July 6, with an awards ceremony at the Anguilla Football Association Stadium.
Five teams participated in the tournament. The winning teams were: Super Stars FC, which placed first; Shining Stars FC which came second; and Lil Soldiers FC which took third place. Shining Stars placed first in both the soccerama and knockout tournament. The other participating teams in the tournament were Gazelles FC and De Youngsters FC.
The prizes were trophies and monetary awards. The referees were also presented with awards.
The main speaker was Mrs Chanelle Petty Barrett, Permanent Secretary, Education, Youth Affairs, Culture and Sports. She urged the footballers to pursue careers in whatever sporting activity interested them the most. She said that if sports were to be taken to the next level in Anguilla, and would really make a mark regionally and internationally, there must be a resource base on trained and dedicated persons at all levels.
Mrs Petty-Barrett observed that those countries interested in developing world-class athletes, and world-class sporting infrastructure, were now reaping the benefits of their investment. She said this was not just from the standpoint of human development, but economic development as well.
The Permanent Secretary added that the Ministry responsible for Sports recognised the importance of that investment, but efforts were severely hampered by the difficult financial situation. For this reason, she applauded the efforts and drive of the Anguilla Football Association in the quest for a state-of-the-art football facility.
Other speakers were President of the Football Association, Mr Raymond Guishard, who complimented the teams for their participation in the tournament; Mr Alkins Rogers, sponsor representative of the Social Security Board, who was pleased with his organisation’s role in the event; and Mr Colin Johnson, Female Football Coordinator.
