BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The advancement of women’s football as outlined by the vision of Elvis ‘Star’ Browne continued yesterday afternoon (Mar. 18) at Warner Park as Canada’s St. Elizabeth High School took on Washington Archibald High School’s female team in the Star Browne Football Classic.
This is the second time that the women of St. Elizabeth, who hail from Thorn Hill, Ontario, have visited the Federation for friendly football matches, and Head Coach Ralph Sturino told SKNVibes that he was pleased to advance the plans he started with Browne, even though the Kittitian's health deteriorated after they met.
“The reason we are back is to continue what Star Browne and I had discussed before his illness. We’re trying to continue that and grow it,” he said before the matchup.
Noting that he first met Browne a number of years ago when he was in Toronto for his stepdaughter’s graduation from university, Sturino said that he instantly clicked with the Kittitian and from there the vision for the international friendly matches was born.
“Star and I had felt that we could do this every two to three years to start off with. We thought we’d have a four team tournament with St. Kitts-Nevis, us representing Canada and a team from Anguilla and Antigua.
“From there we were hoping to grow it into eight teams where we could maybe bring a couple from Canada, one or two from the U.S. and four to six from the Caribbean. If things snowballed, we were thinking of doing tournaments at different levels, not only for the girls but also for the boys,” Sturino stated.
The match itself was played before a mix of visitors supporting St. Elizabeth and locals backing Washie, and while St. Elizabeth eventually emerged the 3-0 victor through a well-controlled offense, the spirit of the match was truly one of camaraderie that fits with Browne’s passion for women’s football.
Washie striker Chioma Henry summed up the positive attitude of the women from both countries.
“[This game] means a lot to me. The experience that I’ll be getting will help me to further my skills in football, so I think it is a good experience. It’s also good to get to play against an overseas team to see how they play,” she said.
Following the match, the women of both teams received medals for their participation. Additionally, Henry was awarded the Hon. Richard Skerritt Spirit Award and St. Elizabeth’s Alex Goudis was named the recipient of the Vic De Zen Determination Award.
The women then posed for pictures and exchanged contact information so they could stay in touch with one another after the Canadian team returns home.
Sturino said that he hopes the St. Kitts-Nevis Sports Department would put dedicated people, such as Fitzroy ‘Platini’ Clarke, in place to continue Browne’s vision for many years to come, as it is an important cultural experience for both countries and a valuable demonstration of goodwill.
