Women’s Football, AFC Bournemouth & More
[Written by Patrick Bean]
More doors are opening for local female footballers, with the Bermuda Football Association [BFA] having developed relationships with overseas clubs, particularly those among the European professional leagues.
Prime among these is AFC Bournemouth, which competes in the National League Division One South West and has Bermuda international Kenni Thompson among its ranks.
The recent signing of the 23-year-old forward stands as proof of the English club’s stated interest in the island’s female talent, with further evidence having been shown during a recent soccer camp hosted in conjunction with the local governing body, involving Bermudian and overseas coaches.
Among those involved were Bermudian Andy Powell, one of the club’s talent scouts, who formerly played for BAA and acted as a key liaison during the recent visit.
“We came here just to get a sense of the girls, because we had come over and did the boys about five years ago,” explained Powell. “AFC Bournemouth just had a few coaches, along with myself, come by.
“Mark [Wade] — BFA president — sanctioned us to come over for a couple of days and we just came over and did a camp for the girls.
“We had a short camp, where we worked alongside Nikita, Shaquita and Cherise, Maurice Lowe and their staff. It was an off the cuff, impromptu camp, with three sessions a day.
“The Bournemouth team shared knowledge with Bermuda Football Association [BFA] technical staff, while providing instruction to a host of local females at the Clyde Best Centre for Excellence.”
Powell has long been enamoured by the abundance of the young, Bermudian talent and in 2016 was among six coaches from the who delivered a free, five-day training camp at Goose Gosling Field for young males, an initiative that attracted more than 140 youngsters.
“It was literally a chance for us to come over, see the talent on show and whatever we did for the boys we did for the girls,” added Powell. “There was no real intention, but to come over and see the country, share our knowledge while gaining a better understanding of what’s on offer here.
“Women’s football has really taken off, so why not get a feel for the talent that Bermuda has.
“The BFA, with Mark, supported us, which we very much appreciate. I’m Bermudian and work with AFC Bournemouth and want to be able to give assistance where I can to our young people.
“I’m not overly involved or familiar with the women side of things at the club, but because I’m Bermudian I came along to help with community and formulate logistics, introducing all staff to the local staff and people I know on the island, who are involved on the women’s side.
“The talent here is excellent and up there with anything back over in England. Especially the younger ones coming through, the girls have got a good chance of making it.”
For president Wade, among the key benefits of having established clubs like AFC Bournemouth are exposure and opportunity, with the potential to have professional and/or academy careers launched.
“I think it’s about creating opportunities for the girls, to express them as well as give them opportunity to progress in a meaningful way,” said Wade. “Our girls have done well. The senior ladies have done well. As well several of our female youth teams have enjoyed positive degrees of success.
“So the next step for us is to further develop and expose them to meaningful opportunities.
“All of these things are part of the plan that the women’s committee have derived and managed.”
