WIFA tournament off to successful start

Following a six-year break, the WIFA Women’s Championship, now hosted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is already being hailed as a success.

Peter Edwards, the General Secretary of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, stated that the general consensus was to reintroduce the tournament as a preparatory step for upcoming CONCACAF competitions, aiming to increase exposure for participating teams.

A Dominica Football Association release said he recalled his involvement in the WIFA initiative, describing the origins during a FIFA Congress meeting in Bangkok.

“So I remember getting involved in the WIFA initiative when we met in Bangkok for FIFA Congress. We said that we have to revive WIFA and that we have to get WIFA going again. So all the presidents and the general secretaries that were there at the time, we met and we decided that we have to do something,” Edwards explained.

Later, at another FIFA Congress gathering in Paraguay, the group convened again and formulated a plan. Initially, the focus was on the under-23 male category, but subsequent discussions among member nations shifted the emphasis toward women’s football — recognizing the importance of developing the sport among women and providing opportunities as they prepare for World Cup qualifiers. That marked the beginning of the current initiative.

Edwards also extended a warm welcome to Dominica, Barbados, and St. Lucia, noting their participation and enthusiasm.

The participating nations expressed strong support for the competition. Edwards mentioned that Grenada, although not present, had indicated that they could not participate due to prior commitments.“Oh yes, they were all, including Grenada, that is not there. But they did indicate early o’ clock that if we are going with the women, senior women, they wouldn’t be able because they had prior engagement and they couldn’t get out of the contractual arrangement they would have had prior to that. But all, including Barbados, is always very welcome to our Windward Islands. They always participated. Dominica from day one said that they want to be part of it.”

Looking ahead, Edwards expressed hope that by next year, WIFA would encompass all four countries, including Barbados, with ongoing discussions about expanding activities to additional nations. He added that the British Virgin Islands had also shown interest in joining this year but were unable to do so due to scheduling conflicts.

Regarding the level of play, Edwards noted that the competition has been impressive so far and encouraged countries to utilize the event as an opportunity for networking and knowledge exchange.

“I think St Lucia ladies are really talented. I think they have something good happening there. When Dominica played, they kept Saint Lucia really tight. They did an excellent job under the circumstances. Also…when Barbados played St
Vincent, that’s not the outcome I would have liked, but it shows that the ladies are really pushing. And even in the session we had earlier on today, they’re talking about they give their all, and I really want to congratulate. I think every
one of them are winners, because the fact that they come out there and they give their best, and the competition is good as they prepare, but I think the collaboration, the synergies and the networking that those girls will have after
this event for me goes beyond just the playing field.”

Edwards also highlighted the importance of seizing opportunities for personal and professional growth through networking.

“Always seize the opportunity for networking, for developing your skills, because you must be, you have to see somebody from a different one of the countries that have a skill set that you admire, and how you could build your
own, and you could, we could collaborate on our skills and get network, because beyond the playing field, there is also your future, there is also what you would want to be in terms of your own personal development, and those, and we are
one Caribbean, I believe in Caribbean integration,” he added.

During their week in St. Vincent, teams participated in a seminar organized by the United Nations under the theme “Our Goal…Her Equal Rights.” The seminar highlighted challenges faced by female footballers and addressed issues related to mental health, physical well-being, sexual and reproductive health.

Edwards emphasized the significance of engaging young women on these topics.

“So when we were discussing and planning, we said that we don’t have a game only focusing on the field, we need to focus off the field, and how we could empower those young ladies, and how we could give them some sort of support,
and how we could make them better persons as a footballer, and as a person, and then we thought about it, and we said, well, women’s health issues are sometimes overlooked, and some of those topics that we chose came from the
women’s committee, and some of the challenges that ladies face, they know it better than us, we are men, we don’t understand what they face most of the time, so that’s why we were able to pull in the doctors, and all of those persons
to be able to give us those sessions, that will empower the young ladies, that will motivate them, that will give them the zeal that they need to push on the field and off the field.” Edwards concluded.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, with the third-place match at 5 p.m. and the final game at 7:30 PM.

Interview with Peter Edwards, the General Secretary of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation: