Recently some of the girls here at Bina Hill Institute decided that they, too, should be represented in the North Rupununi District Football Tournament. All they needed was a coach... “Captain Mike, would you be our coach?” “Oh, sure, why not…nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
So, I became the coach of a team of woman who are excellent athletes, but have very few basic football skills. They do have great enthusiasm, laugh all the time and just love to run around the field kicking the ball.
In truth, I am still adjusting to coaching here. None of the girls has her own football cleats (boots)…they share a plastic bagful of shoes that were donated by someone along the way. If they are too big, the girls just stuff socks into the shoe to fill the voids. If one girl doesn’t have shoes, one of the other girls will happily share one of her pair. At any one time I will have girls practicing barefooted, wearing just one shoe…or in some cases a complete pair of shoes…the shoes may be different colors, but then, nobody really cares.
We practice each evening on the Bina Hill “ground”. The girls are coming along nicely and should be in very good shape by our first game on the 23rd .
The 23rd has come and gone and a new page has been entered in the history of Bina Hill Women’s Football. On the sandy field of Ruputee, the Bina Hill women opened their premier season with a win over Kwatamang. Pauline Johnson’s first half goal would stand up as the defense lead by Captain Debbie Jacobus stymied any offensive threats by Kwatamang.
There were numerous last minute details before our game scheduled for 9am. Ivor, filling in for our regular manager, Bertie Xavier, rode in on his bicycle laden with a box filled with new boots (cleats). Shortly thereafter, Brian, the Bina Hill driver, arrived with another box filled with new uniforms. After hurried, last minute details…hair re-combed, uniforms tried on and discarded, boots fitted, shin guards and socks located, the team was ready to take the field at 9:30am…which in Guyanese time is real good.
Getting our first win made this another great day of football in the North Rupununi.
Last minute preparations
Team members sorting out their new boots
The women's changing room
The 2009 Bina Hill Institute Women’s Soccer Team
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