Strikers, defenders, attackers, midfielders, spectators, players, well wishers and adrenaline rush are just some of the  characteristics of this sport. Played by a team of 11 and 7 reserves this game is an attacking, defensive, dangerous yet fun sport. It has been in the Caribbean for some time now and has made an indelible mark on the lives of Caribbean people. It is not a unisex sport as women have been known to do exceptionally well in this particular sport as well. Therefore the University of the West Indies known to many as one of the cultural mecca of the Caribbean facilitates this sport in its curriculum - Football not just male but female football. This interest is so profound that after supporting and providing resources to the male footballers for years now the University’s Sports department decided that it was full time that the female footballers catch up with or even surpass the feet of the male footballers. 

This was a conscious decision made by the management last year when after years of being absent from the Sherwin Williams League they decided it was full time to get back on track. So with an aim of exposure and experience the girls after many years of being dormant entered the competition for the first time in a long while this year – not entirely looking for an overall win but certaininly experience and exposure. The need to push these college female footballers into such a high class league with teams such as Waterhouse, Barbican, Harbor View, Portmore United, Santos, Los Perfectos was also spurred from the victorious season that the pelican female footballers experienced this year in the intercollegiate competition wearing the title of seasoned footballers in the league. The girls were consistent along the way especially this year when they were exempted from the finals not because of poor performance throughout the season but based on the withdrawal of a particular team earlier in the competition thus making the final spot to the finals one that was obtained based on goal difference. 

So powered up from the intercollegiate competition a team of 12 was chosen to strike, defend and attack the ball on the field in the Sherwin Williams league this year. So far the girls have played 2 matches with the rules nearly the same as the male footballers but with a few  adjustments like an extension to the duration of the game as there is an additional 10 minutes per half thus they are playing 90 minutes matches with unlimited changes throughout the game. Adapting to this additional time has been challenging for the girls, however coach Richards who has been in the business for over ten years now and being a past football player himself during his tenure here at the University remains confident that it is not an unreachable target as the girls have been in training both physically and psychologically for some time now. 

The Pelican female footballers still have a long way to go in the league as there are 20 matches to be played in the league, thus each team will play each team twice. Then there is the colour scape knock out where at least one team will be playing. The draw to select the team in the knock-out round has not been selected as yet but the Pelican footballers remain optimistic since the season will be a long one. The team selection for such a league may comprise of students and alumni alike however the football squad still has room for more players hence coach Richard’s would like to see “high school students especially the ones from the inner city communities being apart of the programme where the current students and alumni who make up the team can provide mentorship and guidance for these students. This type of relationship will ultimately fester into a rewarding one as by participating in this programme the team will be making a positive social impact on the youth while the high school student will see that they can play the sport that they love while excelling academically at the University.”  

Collin Powell once said “there are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.” With this in mind coach Richards continues to work feverishly with the girls daily always keeping to the back of his mind the five year vision he forsees for the team. So in 5 years time “I want UWI Mona Pelicans female footballers to be the best team in the competition, it may sound far fetched to some people but i dont think it is because of the structure of our programme we play intercollegiate football between September and November then we have inter- hall competition which runs from the end of January to the end of February then we have the club league playing so we will have people playing together for the most part. No club has that so because we can hold a unit together for one year our programme has the potential to produce exceptional footballers.” 

So far the girls have been doing well however they cannot move forward without our support so go out in your red and white filled with Pelican pride and support the girls as they ensure that UWI mona is well represented on the field at all times.