BARBICAN FC stole the show at the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) Sherwin Williams Women’s Football Awards ceremony yesterday, walking away with almost everything in sight.

The awards which came seven months after the tournaments were completed in October 2009, saw Barbican receiving the $240,000 prize money for the Sherwin Williams Women’s Premier League and pocketed another $60,000 for the Colourscape Knockout title.

Captain Alicia James won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the premier league and her teammate, Jodi-Ann McGregor was voted the MVP of the final round.

The Charles Edwards-coached outfit also won the Fair Play trophy, while conceding just nine yellow cards throughout the tournament.

Barbican’s Janine Dennis with five goals was the Top goalscorer in the Colourscape Knockout and subsequently she copped the MVP Award also.

Khalie Beckford (Barbican) was the Top Goalkeeper in the league conceding only nine goals and her coach Edwards won Coach of the Year.

The only major trophy not going Barbican’s way was won by Tashana Vincent of Portmore Strikers, whose 21 goals earned her the Top goalscorer Award in the league.

Coach Edwards was, as usual, as calm as ever while revelling in his team’s achievements.

Said Edwards: “The team played at a very high level and displayed some true quality in terms of being champions. We worked hard and even when we lost our overseas-based players to Universities, we never wavered, we refocused and put the extra effort into it and other players stepped up and it paid off. Our success was a collective thing and I am very happy about it.”

Meanwhile, Ian Forbes, managing director of sponsors Sherwin Williams, said his organisation was proud to be a part of a rewarding exercise for the past nine years.

“With our sponsorship support for the country’s female footballers, we have started a process that we believe in. Each year we at Sherwin Williams Awards time we undergo a period of reflection and in the recent past, this period has been one of deeper thought than before. We recognised the tough times that the country faces and we are cognisant of the cutbacks that are taking place around us daily as the country grapples with the reality of the recent economic recession,” he pointed out.

Notwithstanding this however, we realise and respect our position as a facilitator with resolve to make the unlikely turn to reality and as such we are committed to find ways to maintain our role as responsible corporate citizens,” he added.

Captain Horace Burrell, the JFF president, commended Sherwin Williams for being a true friend of football and in particular, women’s football.

“In times of difficulty we have called on Mr Forbes and he has never turned us down. I want to tell you how thankful we are for you and your company for the continued support,” said Burrell.

Burrell lamented the fact that Jamaica’s female football programme seemed to have taken a backward step and have fallen further behind Mexico and have been overtaken by Costa Rica.

“I can tell you Jamaica, not before long we will be a force in women’s football. We will be setting up a special task force to examine what needs to be done. Before long a master plan will be in place,” said Burrell.