Under-17 Girlz Coach Bradford wanted more preparation time
Despite having little time to prepare Jamaica’s Under-17 national women’s team for their match against Panama in the Concacaf Under-17 Championship qualifiers, Hugh Bradford, head coach of the young Reggae Girlz, says there is no time to settle as the players must be in the best shape possible for the contest.
Because Anguilla and Grenada have withdrawn from Group E, Jamaica will face Panama in two games. Jamaica will face Panama at Sabina Park on Friday at 6:00 pm and again on Sunday at 4:00 pm. Only the victor of the tie will be eligible to compete in the Concacaf Under-17 Women’s Championship.
On Tuesday, the young Reggae Girlz held their first training session at The University of the West Indies/Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence, under the supervision of Bradford and his assistant Alicia James. They were supposed to play a scrimmage versus a male squad at the same locations this morning at 7:00 am.
This afternoon, the young Reggae Girlz were also due to enter camp at the AC Hotel. Four players from the United States had joined the squad on Tuesday, and another from Canada will join today.
“As a coach, you always want more time to prepare but we are going to make the best of the time we have,” Bradford told the Jamaica Observer.
“I think the players are adjusting well. I think they are dealing with the different style but it takes time to get there — and we do not have a lot of that,” the head coach said.
Jamaica has never qualified for the championship stage, so Bradford is excited about the potential of the youthful Reggae Girlz.
“We are working on transitioning from defending to attack with speed. I know nothing about Panama but our plan is to keep possession of the ball and limit their opportunities. The expectation is always to make it to the next round,” Bradford said.
Five other groups will have their participation from August 26 to September 3. All the group winners will join the top two-ranked nations, Mexico and the United States, which have been seeded directly into the championship’s group stage.
