A confident-looking Jamaica Under-17 Women football delegation will depart the island today en route to St Vincent and the Grenadines to participate in the first round of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualifiers which is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

The Jamaicans are drawn in Group E and will play alongside St Kitts and Nevis and hosts St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The winner from the group, along with the other four group winners, will advance to the final round of qualification, which will be played in two groups (A and B) in Haiti later this year.

Teams finishing first in the two groups automatically qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship. The runner-up teams of the groups will be in a play-off in a single match to determine the third-place team to qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship.

Jamaica begin competition on Friday against St Kitts and Nevis with the final qualifying game on Sunday against hosts St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Well, the feeling right now is very good. I mean the girls are excited and ready to go down to St Vincent and do their thing. The team spirit is very high at the moment. It is the CFU round of qualifiers and Jamaica is generally known to be the champions of the Caribbean round and so we are very confident going there,” said assistant coach Toni Cowan.

Squad: Giselle Washington, Chantae Blackwood, Jaden Roberts, Gabrielle Scarlett, Sydoney Clarke, Monique Perrier, Jody Brown, Shereece Young, Tacia Austin, Shaquilla Forbes, Rochell Gray, Shania Harris, Nevillegail Able, Kersha Thomas, Christina Salmon, Suen Gregory, Moesha McLaughlin, Kelly Nunes, Chelisa Schloss and Davia Richards.