IF Arnett Gardens FC are to end Frazsiers Whip FC’s stranglehold on the Jamaica Women’s Premier League (JWPL), the veteran “coach on the field” Sasha Gay Brown will have to place herself in the thick of things in the final on Saturday.

After losing at the semi-final stage last season, Arnett Gardens are back in the championship match after a number of years looking on. They are seeking to end Frazsiers Whip’s three-year run of winning the competition.

Arnett Gardens topped Zone A at the end of the regular season without losing a game, then defeated Los Perfectos FC in the semi-finals to get to Saturday’s big showdown with Frazsiers Whip.

“It’s a marvellous feeling and we have to give God thanks that we [have] another chance,” Brown, 31, told the
Jamaica Observer in the build-up to the final.

The difference from last season, the midfielder said, is that they have learned from their mistakes and are aiming to make amends.

“We know where we fell down last year and we know who we are so we have buckled up, put our heads together and are working together as a family,” said Brown, considered one of the on-field leaders of the Arnett Gardens team.

Brown, who has a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and minored in Health and played for Essex County Junior College and Bethel University in Tennessee on scholarship, has been with Arnett Gardens since 2011. She has also played with former women’s powerhouse team Barbican FC.

She brings a wealth of experience, losing to Barbican FC in a final before joining them the next season and winning the local double.

Brown said she and her Arnett Gardens teammates are fully focused on the big prize.

“We are calm, we are not getting too excited and we are just preparing properly and will do what needs to be done.”

Brown, who played professionally in Turkiye for Altay Kadin after she graduated from college, said she is not afraid to tackle different roles to help her team.

“It does not matter, where ever the coach wants me to play, I am a versatile player and can adapt,” she insisted.

Brown has found the back of the net once this season, leaving the bulk of the scoring duty to the shoulders of the prolific Shikira Douglas and Tuanashae Hamilton.

Brown said her advice to younger teammates, especially those who will be playing in a final for the first time, is to enjoy themselves.

She added: “I talk to them and try to motivate them to do their best.”

— Paul A Reid