Canadian female team to play, aid projects in St Thomas

Jamaica's female football and the parish of St Thomas will benefit from the week-long tour of the Dollard Soccer Club's under-18 female team, which is based in Montreal, Canada.

The group of 30, which includes players, staff and parents, will arrive in the island today at the Sangster International Airport (MBJ).

Commonly referred to as the Dragons, Dollard will play two exhibition games - on Wednesday at the Eastern Banana Complex against a St Thomas Invitational team; and on Friday, January 7 against Los Perfectos at the Yallahs Community Centre.

Both games begin at 3 p.m. and will be free of cost.

In addition to the football games, the group will be engaged in charitable projects within the parish. Among the entities to benefit are the Princess Margaret Hospital, which will receive hospital supplies, toys and books for the children, Morant Bay Primary, Morant Bay High School, Paul Bogle High School, Yallahs Primary, Yallahs High School, St Thomas Technical, and a number of other schools.

Expansion of work started

According to the Canadian team's Jamaican-born head coach, Derrick Bryan, who was born in St Thomas, the trip is an expansion of the work started by his mother, Hermine Nugent. The girls of the team, he said, heard about her work and wanted to be involved.

"The part of the project with the games was initiated by the girls in an effort to give young Jamaican soccer players a chance to develop their skills with the help of the team and allow them to play, using proper soccer equipment. They had a number of fund-raisers, donated some of their own stuff and supported by the club, procured goods from some of our suppliers," a proud Bryan explained, before adding that his club will also be exploring the possibility of a player exchange programme.

Dollard, a consistent top performer in their province, will be the first female club team from Canada to visit the island. Previously, there had been playing visits from the Raleigh Wings (USA) and York University.

Dollard squad (players): Aleksa Zina Piecaitis, Cecile Sakura Sunahara, Jaclyn Stephanie Schulz, Jenna Louise Sevack, Jihane Manai, Jordan McComb, Kendra Bradshaw, Leila Chevrier-Foundy, Madison Dinh, Melody Vigeant, Mia Prattico, Pamela Dagher, Samantha Nicola Steinmetz-Wood, Taylor Anne Fissel, Yi-Wen Shao. Staff: head coach - Derrick Bryan, assistant coaches - Nigel Bradshaw and Henry Carlisle; manager - Aras Piecaitis.