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The past five weeks has been a busy time for the Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) as its regular season continued and will culminate with its playoffs and championships on the outskirts of the old Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium this coming Saturday.

The first game for the playoffs gets underway at 11:30 a.m. The championship games are set to kick off at 2:30 p.m.

President of the BYFFL Jayson Clarke is expecting exciting games on Saturday as action this season climaxes.

“We are expecting competitive games. For the most part, the top teams have been beaten by teams that are not highly ranked in the standings. We expect to see some high intensity games. Throughout the season, the players were playing other sports but this Saturday, the teams will be fully stacked and prepared to go,” Clarke said.

Clarke said that the 6-9 age group has made significant strides in terms of the talent pool as well as their level of play. He went on to state that they have been so great that they have the featured game in the championships. The BYFFL has identified a nine-and-under team that will be traveling to represent The Bahamas in tournaments next year.

Team Inne leads that age group with a 6-1-3 win/loss/draw record. The 10-13 age group is led by the only unbeaten team in the league, Team Kevin, which has a 6-0-2 record. The 14-17 age group is led by Team D’Angelo which has a 4-2-0 record on the season.

The level of interest in the sport has led to the highest number of players registered in the history of the league. Organizers were able to fill out teams.

“This has been the best and most successful season by far, not only in numbers but also by competition. We are pleased with how the season went and we are preparing for the USA Flag Championships which will cap off the season,” Clarke said.

The 2023 USA Flag Youth World Championships will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from December 29-30. Three local teams are registered to participate.

Clarke said that flag football is being cemented at a very early stage, developing the sport, which he adds is great for the adult program.

The entry fee for patrons of the BYFFL playoffs and championships is $5. Children 12-and-under get in free.

• Nov 7, 2023
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Braving rain and a strong cold front, just under 100 athletes competed in Grand Bahama’s annual triathlon races on Saturday at Taino Beach.

The swim, bike, and run event brought out top competitors on the island, as well as athletes from other islands and the USA.

There are three events each year now, the sprint, mini-sprint and conchkids triathlons. This year’s sprint winners were Ayden Bain in the men’s and Sylvia Bateman in the women’s category. Both also were winners in 2022 and Bateman finished first in 2019. Mini-sprint winners were Ellie Gibson, men and Emma Barigella, women. Awards were given out on the day for fastest times, winning teams and other age category winners. Prizes for the top winners included hand-blown glass conchs with yellow elder flowers, beautifully crafted by Sydney Pratt and a local Grand Bahamian artist. Conchkids winners were awarded in several age categories, all results will be posted on the Conchman website in the upcoming week.

Well done to all the athletes for just showing up and competing, to the sponsors for supporting this event and to the organizing committee for keeping this annual event going. For more information on the event, visit the website conchmantriathlon.com.

GO TEAM BAHAMAS: Our men’s national basketball team has been selected to play in Valencia, Spain in Group B with Finland and Poland July 2-7.

As of Wednesday, November 29, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#As they all watched the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024 draw unfold on Monday, assistant coach Moses Johnson said they are thrilled with the pool the Bahamas national men’s basketball team was placed in.

#Team Bahamas, coming off its championship victory in the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago, Argentina, in August, was selected to play in Valencia, Spain in Group B with Finland and Poland from July 2-7. Making up Group A are Lebanon, Angola and Spain.

#There are three other Groups of three teams placed in two pools in Piraeus, Greece, Riga, Latvia and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Two teams from each group will advance to the semifinal stage. However, only the winners of each group will book their tickets to the 2024 Olympic Basketball Tournament in Paris, France.

#Those teams will join France, USA, Canada, Australia, South Sudan, Japan, Serbia and Germany, who have already qualified for the Olympics, scheduled for July 27 to August 11.

#Johnson, an assistant coach on the staff that is led by Chris DeMarco, an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, said the draw is just what the Bahamas Basketball Federation needed to be in a position to participate in its best chance ever as a team to qualify for the Olympics. “We are happy where we are placed. We are confident that we can compete in that group and we’re looking forward to starting the process for July 2024,” Johnson said.

#“The coaching staff is ecstatic, the players are ecstatic, but it’s more than just being pleased about where we ended up in the group. We now have to put our mind towards competing in that group and getting to the top of the group because only that one team that raises to the occasion will be left standing to head into Paris.”

#Matched against Poland and Finland, Johnson said Team Bahamas will have to play basketball for 48 minutes and be prepared to go toe-to-toe with their rivals when it counts the most down the stretch.

#“Those are tough, gritty teams. Poland might not have a bunch of superstars that people think, but they have guys who play at a high level in Europe, so we are not playing any slouch. We have to play for 48 minutes.

#“And with Finland, they have a pretty good team, led by Lauri Markkanen (who plays for the Utah Jazz in the NBA). We just have to prepare for them. We feel we have a chance to be in every game when it counts down the stretch, especially with having Eric Gordon returning.”

#In preparation for the tournament, Moses said the BBF and the coaching staff will be looking at assembling the best 12 players to play.

#“This is the highest level that we’ve ever been in basketball and so the coaching staff will be looking at getting the best 12 players together over the next few months,” he stated. “We will try to name a squad of about 24 players and from that, we will select the best 12 to represent the country. It was such an honour to hear the commentators say that this is the only time that the Bahamas will play at the Qualifying Tournament and to hear them say that the Bahamas has never been to the Olympics, but they are no pushover.”

#In their quest to assemble the best 12 players, Johnson said the federation is looking at taking a team to play in the Americas Cup in February, which will serve as a tune-up as the Bahamas competes against Puerto Rico in a home and away series. “We are reaching out to all of our corporate partners in the Bahamas to help us assemble this team,” Johnson stated. “We want them to come on board and assist us because this is no easy feat to get to the Olympics. “We just hope that persons can start wrapping their minds around how they can assist the federation and the team and so if there are persons out there interested, we are asking them to reach out to us because we need the financial support of everybody to accomplish this goal.”

#Team Bahamas, behind the NBA trio of newly acquired Gordon (from the Phoenix Suns), Grand Bahamian Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield (Indiana Pacers) and DeAndre Ayton (Portland Trail Blazers), won their Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina in August.

#In the championship game, Team Bahamas knocked off Argentina 82-75 to earn the rights to play in the Olympic Qualifier. The teams won 78-62 over Uruguay in the semifinal.

#Other members of Team Bahamas were Dominick Bridgewater, Franco Miller Jr, Rashad Davis, Travis Munnings, Lourawls Nairn Jr, Kentwan Smith, Jaraun Burrows, Garvin Clarke and Davis Nesbitt. “We expect that all of the players who were at the qualifying tournament to return,” Johnson said. “We are looking at trying to do some more stuff to beef up the team a bit. “We will look at the eligibility clause of some other players and see what we can do. We just want to be able to put the best 12 players on the floor that the Bahamas has ever seen.”

As of Wednesday, November 29, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#ON Monday night, the Leno Regulators and Discount Distributors Rockets pulled off wins in division one and two men’s basketball action for the New Providence Basketball Association (NPBA) at the CI Gibson Gymnasium.

#The Leno Regulators defeated the Brandon Deli Kings 79-67 in game two of Monday’s double header.

#Meanwhile, the newly-named Michael Boshang Cooper division two Rockets blew past the Javon Medical Shockers 82-67 to earn a 15-point victory.

#Division One

#Leading the way in scoring for the Regulators was Alexander Rolle. In more than 30 minutes of action, he dropped a game-high 27 points and pulled down 14 boards to mail in a dominant double-double.

#Defensively, Rolle also stole the ball five times and on offence he shot 9-for-19 on a 47.4 per cent shooting clip.

#The Kings jumped ahead by six in the opening quarter behind the efforts of Levanti Roberts, who finished with 17 points and four rebounds in the contest.

#Despite the Kings having a 22-16 advantage going into the second quarter, Trujillo Darville Jr knocked down a go-ahead three pointer to make the score 30-26 in favour of the Regulators.

#The lead changed on multiple occasions but two made free throws by Roberts put the Kings up 38-34 going into halftime.

#The third period began and the Regulators took over and extended the lead by 10 (53-43) as the Kings fell behind. They ended the quarter 60-52. In the final quarter, it was all the Regulators as the Kings never managed to regain their footing in the game and fell to their opponents.

#Division Two

#The division two Rockets had three players score in double digits to help drop the Shockers by 15. Quebell Martin and Kevin Rolle poured in 16 points apiece in the NPBA regular season game.

#Martin was efficient on offence. He made four of his nine baskets and canned seven shots at the charity stripe.

#The ball game was tightly-contested between the division two teams as the Shockers were only able to create a three-point separation on the scoreboard (21-18) after the first quarter.

#The second quarter began and the Rockets quickly evened the score at 25 following a smooth layup by Kevin Rolle. They capitalised on their opportunities and went up by seven (38-31) to close out the half.

#The Shockers were back on top again after the third quarter leading 58-53, but after a made two-pointer by Quiandre Robsinson at 1:59 the Rockets were too far ahead on the scoreboard.

#The Rockets outrebounded the Shockers 72 to 47 on the glass.

#Lamont McPhee posted a 26 points and 11 rebound double-double in a losing effort.

#Additionally, his fellow teammate Joshua Anderson scored 20 points, reeled in eight rebounds and stole the ball four times in the game.

#On Wednesday, the Sand Dollar High Flyers face off against the BIBT Great Whites in division two action at 7:30pm.

#Division one will feature the Island Development Rebels versus the Sand Dollar High Flyers at 8:30pm.

ON THE PODIUM: Samantha Mahelis and Liv Ward (right) finished first and the duo of Payton McKenzie and Tyhler Rolle (left) claimed second at the Front 9 Golf Tournament series Sunday.

As of Wednesday, November 29, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy’s Front 9 golf tournament series got underway for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic this weekend at the Bahamas Golf Federation’s practice facility.

#The event was the first of 10 in the series and juniors showed up in a big way on Sunday. The tourney is geared towards promoting camaraderie among the fellow golfers and helping to improve their skill sets in friendly competition.

#Georgette Rolle-Harris, founder of the Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy, talked about the return of the Front 9 golf tournament series.

#“The Front 9 is the tournament arm of Fourteen Clubs Golf Academy now that the US kids’ season is all done with the 18 events this year. We are jumping into something that is geared towards players grabbing a friend and playing in a team scramble format.

#“For our newer players, who have never played in an event before but are in one of our junior programmes, this is their first time playing in the tournament so to be able to play with one of their friends has been huge and it is really good to see the magic that has been created out there,” Rolle- Harris said.

#On Sunday, Savannah Mackey and Lucas Stokes came out with a total gross of 39 for first place. In the second position was Jervarie Dawkins and his sister Jermany Dawkins with 42 in flight one. Flight two saw the duo of Samantha Mahelis and Liv Ward round up a total gross of 38 for first place. The duo was followed by Payton McKenzie and Tyhler Rolle who finished second with 40.

#In flight three, Sarah Scheidecker and Zara Greaves emerged victorious with 32. The sibling tandem of Zaire and Zion Poitier ended in second with 34. Third place went to Jamiah Miller and Janai Miller with 35.

#Liam Bethel and Luca Greaves notched 39 at Sunday’s event for first place honours.

#Meanwhile, Antoine Roberts and Treilon Stuart collected second place with 44 for flight four.

#Rolle-Harris said the tournament will be very beneficial for the young golfersm especially those joining forces with their usual competitors.

#“We have some brother-sister duos, and teenage juniors that played with younger juniors who were their mentors at this point. We want this to be a huge learning ground. I think this benefits some of the players who have close skill levels and paired together because they have been learning how to hit different shots from each other,”

#“Typically, they are in an environment where they compete against each other but now we are really seeing them further develop friendships,” she said.

#Zachary Landry and Maximilien Demole took flight five with a total of 32. Briland Cunningham and Hugo Johnston were tied for second with William Mahelis and Juan Pedro Viana.

#For flight six, Londyn Strachan and Maddison Carroll came first. Hailey Hall and Annaleigh Deveaux wrapped up in second and the duo of Zeden Poitier and Anissa Robinson earned third.

#Rylee Cunnigham and Naomi Cole totalled 37 for a first place finish in flight seven. Benjamin Cole and Gideon Cole took the second podium spot with 42 and Adelyn and Eloise Amorello-Bradley were third.

#Flight eight went to Daliah Hamilton-Knowles and Shane Gibson with 26 and Kaleah Brown and Payton Haye nabbed first for flight nine.

#“We have 10 events from now through March for the kids to play in, some are scrambles, we have a couple of drive, chip and putt events. We are just trying to create a space for newer golfers to develop their games or just to have a little bit of fun during the off tournament season,” she said.

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KIM Rolle-Valente at the World Championships.

As of Wednesday, November 29, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#ALTHOUGH there was a big separation in between her performances, former Bahamian female teenage middle distance runner Kim Rolle-Valente is now making waves as a married mother as she flexes her physique on stage as a highly acclaimed British professional bodybuilder.

#Rolle-Valente, a former employee of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, based in London, has been rising in the United Kingdom for the past 23 years, and started competing in bodybuilding 18 months ago.

#As determined as she was when she competed in track and field as a teenager, Rolle-Valente excelled so fast in such a short period of time that she got her pro card late last year at the WNBF Super Naturals UK Championships.

#“Winning my pro card was my proudest moment because this was achieved after only six months of competing in this sport,” she pointed out. “This gave me the confidence boost I needed to go further in this sport as a natural athlete.”

#At the ICN World Bodybuilding Championships in Perugia, Italy, November 3-5, competing as part of the UK team, Rolle- Valente not only won the Sports Model World Champion title, but also placed second in the Classic Figure and Figure Open classes amongst a very competitive line-up of amazing athletes from around the world.

#“Having won the ICN UK championships this past October and selected to represent the UK team in Italy at the ICN World Championships, was an honour,” Rolle-Valente stated.

#“Not only did I walk away with a world championship title, but placed second in both the Classic Figure and Open Figure classes amongst a very competitive field of athletes from around the world.”

#The 48-year-old, married to Riccardo Valente, an Italian national currently residing in the UK and the mother of Alessandro Valente, 18, and Sofia Valente, 9, said her goal in competing in the sport is primarily to provide an inspiration to other women who think it’s too late to pursue their goals and interests.

#At the age of 18, Rolle- Valente left the Bahamas to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business management at Rust College in Holly Springs Mississippi.

#While at Rust College, she applied for and won the Tambrands Tampax Marketing Internship Scholarship, worth USD $15,000, amongst a very competitive entry of over 40 young women from colleges/universities across the United States.

#“I worked in the sales and marketing programme for Tambrands in New York, gaining hands on experience in the marketing, production, sales and distribution of their products,” she said.

#“On completing my degree in 1994, I applied and was then awarded the Northern Ireland Methodist Scholarship Foundation award to further my studies at the University of Ulster, Coleraine Northern Ireland.

#“While in Northern Ireland, I pursued courses in humanities. This led me to pursue my master’s degree at Trinity College, Dublin Ireland, where I graduated in 1999 with a masters of philosophy degree.”

#In 1999, Rolle-Valente returned to The Bahamas and eight months later was offered a position with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism as marketing executive based in the UK office.

#In 2005, after having her first child, she resigned to start her own travel business, Bahamas Flavour, but still worked closely with the Bahamas Tourist Office, London in promoting the Islands of The Bahamas.

#After working in travel for 16 years, she decided to change career paths and qualified as a level 3 personal trainer and cognitive behavioural therapist and currently owns a fitness business – Squat2Fit, where she works 1-2-1 with clients.

#“In 2017, I returned to athletics as a masters athlete and competed in many track events in the UK. In March 2020 I won the British Masters Indoor long jump and silver in the 60m sprints,” Rolle-Valente recalled.

#“I was due to represent team GB at the European Championships in Portugal in March 2020. However, COVID-19 came and everything got cancelled. As a result, I wanted to focus my attention on a different sport and decided on bodybuilding. I found a coach initially to guide me through the training and nutrition process. However, I currently coach myself.”

#Rolle-Valente competed in her first bodybuilding competition in May 2022 and after securing the victory, she then competed in several more competitions across the UK with over seven natural bodybuilding federations.

#“I am happy to say that within my first year of competing, I won six championship titles, three overall titles, two pro cards and most recently ICN World Sports Model Championship title. This achievement meant so much to me because I coached myself through these championships.”

#As she reflects on what has been a very competitive stint in the sport over the past two seasons, Rolle- Valente is currently in off season training and bulking up to bring a bigger and better package to the bodybuilding stage in 2024.

#“I hope to compete in the World Championships and also UK championships with a few federations next year,” she summed up.

#“However, it would be an absolute privilege and honour to compete in The Bahamas with the Bahamas Bodybuilding Federation.”

#Rolle-Valente is the third child of four to the late Edwin Rolle Jr, from Mt Thompson, Exuma, who was an architect and business owner and Elizabeth Alexandra Turnquest-Rolle from Long Island.

#She has two older brothers Oran and Edwin Rolle and one sister Nahkeisha Rolle-Williams.

#She is a 1992 graduate of St. Anne’s High School where she participated in track and field in both the 400 and 800 metres and was a member of the CARIFTA team in the early 1990s.

#At the age of 16, she won the Miss Bahamas Talented Teen Scholarship Pageant and represented The Bahamas at the Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens, New York City where she was a top 10 finalist and in 1993, she again represented the Bahamas at the Miss Black Teenage World Scholarship Achievement Programme in Greensborough North Carolina, where she won the title.

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Team to play in Olympic Qualifying Tournament next summer

• Simba French
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The path for The Bahamas to qualify for the Olympics in a team sport for the first time became clearer this week, as the senior men’s national basketball team was drawn to play in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Valencia, Spain, set for July 2-7, 2024.

The draw was held at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) headquarters at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland, on Monday.

The games schedule will be announced later.

There are 24 countries that will be playing in four Olympic qualifying tournaments. The other three locations will be Riga, Latvia; Piraeus, Greece; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Those 24 countries will be vying for one of the four spots available for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. The spots will be given to the four OQT winners.

The FIBA World Rankings were last updated on September 30, and The Bahamas was dropped one spot to number 57. Spain is the highest ranked team in the tournament at number two. Poland and Finland are also in the top-20, listed at numbers 15 and 20, respectively. Lebanon is ranked at number 28 while Angola is ranked at number 34. As experienced from the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament, those rankings mean nothing for The Bahamas.

The Bahamas earned a spot in this tournament after winning the FIBA Americas Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, this past summer, knocking off host country Argentina twice.

At the time, Argentina was the number four ranked team in the world.

The Bahamas won all four of its games in that tournament, claiming the title with an 82-75 victory over the host in the final. The win not only kept Team Bahamas’ hopes alive for the Olympics, but eliminated Argentina from contention for the Olympics.

The team was arguably one of the best Bahamian basketball squads ever assembled as they obtained the services of National Basketball Association (NBA) players Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield, DeAndre Ayton and Eric ‘EJ’ Gordon.

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The 2023 Bahamas Sunfish Open National Championships took place this past weekend. It was hosted by the Nassau Yacht Club. The event was open to all ages and competitors ranged in age from as young as 12 years old to over 70. Ultimately, it was Lori Lowe who claimed the title, the first female national champion since the championship’s inception in 1995.

Conditions were near perfect on Saturday with winds of 12-14 knots, and after three races were completed, Lowe and ultimate runner-up Joss Knowles, of the Exuma Sailing Club, were tied for first place. On Sunday, the winds dropped and in an ‘every race counts’ series, Lowe secured two second-place finishes to win the title, beating junior sailor Knowles by just one point. Third place was taken by former 5.5 meter Class World Champion Gavin Mckinney.Tuesday’s news < 10 minutesTuesday’s news < 10 minutescloseNextStay

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Lowe, who serves as the president of the Bahamas Sailing Association (BSA), said: “I would like to recognize the youngest competitor Rudolph Ferguson at 12 years old. For all the juniors, just starting out sailing and who think they might never get to the front of the fleet, I reference a quote from world renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, who spoke about advice, given to her by her mother when she was young – ‘you’ll have to work hard, take advantage of opportunities and never give up’, and our own Sir Durward Knowles who had his own mantra – ‘never give up’.

Full results of the championships are available at the website https://www.bahsailingschool.org.

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Gordon scores 10 in win; Ayton struggles in loss

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The Bahamas heads to Spain

The path for The Bahamas to qualify for the Olympics in a te…

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This past summer, Bahamian professional basketball players DeAndre Ayton and Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield teamed up and played for The Bahamas. On Monday night, they were on separate teams and Ayton and the Portland Trail Blazers (5-12) took down Hield and the Indiana Pacers (9-7),114-110, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Ayton came away a double-double, matching a season-high 22 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds in 39 minutes on the floor. He was efficient from the field making nine of his 13 shot attempts, finishing at a 69.2 percent clip. He was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, and he also had an assist and a steal.

Both teams shot the ball fairly well from the field as the Pacers were at 48 percent and Blazers finished at 47 percent.

The game was tied at 83 at the start of the fourth quarter, setting up for a dramatic finish. The Blazers broke that tie on a three-point shot to go up 86-83 at the 11:31 mark. After the Pacers went up 89-88 at the 9:51 mark, Ayton sank two free throws for his 19th and 20th points of the night, giving the Blazers a 90-89 lead at the 9:30 mark.

The game was tied at 94 points with 7:12 left, and the Blazers finished strong. Ayton scored his final points of the night from the free throw line as he hit two free shots with 2:54 left in the game to give his team a 109-103 lead. The Blazers kept the lead the rest of the way.

The Pacers led 34-30 at the end of the first quarter, but a 35-26 second-quarter advantage gave the Blazers a 65-60 lead at the half.

It has been a tough season for the Blazers’ big man scoring-wise as he is averaging 13.3 points per game in 16 appearances. He is averaging his best rebounds per game in three seasons at 11.1 boards per game while shooting 59.3 percent from the field. For the first time in his career, he is averaging over one steal per game at 1.4 per game.

Hield has been featured in 16 contests this season and started in four of those contests. He is averaging 13.6 points per game this season while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. He is averaging 3.1 made three-pointers this season at a 41.7 shooting percentage clip.

Ayton and the Blazers return to action tomorrow when they head to Cleveland, Ohio, to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers (9-8) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. That game gets underway at 7 p.m.

Hield and the Pacers will look to bounce back against the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, tomorrow at 7.30 p.m. It will be carried live on NBA TV.

Women’s soccer match set for Wednesday at RALD Field

• Sheldon Longley
• Nov 28, 2023
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The Bahamas women’s national football team is headed in the right direction, set to take on the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in its final match in 2023 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League competition as the ‘Road to CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup’ concludes for this year.

Coming off a clean sheet in their last match, at home, the team is anticipating an improved performance this Wednesday. The match against the USVI will take place at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the Roscoe A.L. Davies (RALD) Soccer Field.

“This is a celebration of our team’s hard fought journey in this tournament. It is a significant moment for Bahamian women in football, and playing in front of home fans will boost them tremendously. It gives the Bahamian people an opportunity to see our women play at home and the support will only serve to give them a boost as they go after a victory in their final match of the CONCACAF W (Women’s) Road to the Gold Cup,” said Bahamas Football Association (BFA) Secretary General Carl Lynch.

The Bahamas started its rebirth in women’s football in September, taking on the Turks and Caicos Islands in an international friendly. Since then, they have taken on Grenada twice, losing both times, and drawing with the USVI. The team is confident of an improved performance on Wednesday to close out the ‘Road to CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup’ series this year.

“Despite facing adversity with some challenges, our team showed unwavering determination in competition thus far,” said team’s Head Coach Ricqea Bain. “Our improved scoreline reflects our team’s forward trajectory. The journey might not be as fast as we would like, but we are moving in the right direction, establishing a foundation for future success. We are learning from past mistakes and implementing new strategies. We aim to elevate our performance to secure a positive result on the field of play.

“With the majority of our players under 21 years of age, coupled with more exposure and development, our team is poised for continued improvement. We are looking to play with speed and we want to capitalize on the other team’s weaknesses. This is just the beginning for us. Our bright future includes experienced players contributing when they are available. We want to say thanks to our supporters. Your presence means a lot to us and we anticipate seeing you on Wednesday.”

One of the players for Team Bahamas, Rachel Rolle, a 20-year-old sophomore defender for the Allen University Yellow Jackets in Columbia, South Carolina, said she is more than excited to compete.

“We are set to put our best foot forward. We are all excited to play with each other and we look forward to a positive outcome,” she said.

Another player, 17-year-old striker Dianne Maillis said she is proud to be following in her father’s footsteps who experienced national team duty for The Bahamas in men’s soccer. She is looking forward to the opportunity to compete.

“It’s an honor to go out there and play for my country,” she said. “I have been working on my confidence on and off the ball. I just have to go out there and make the most of this opportunity. It is incredibly important that we have support in our final game and get that motivation that we need. I see a great future for women’s football in The Bahamas. I know that we are headed for greatness.”

The remaining team members are Rokesia Sands, Dalexis Huyler, Samantha Ramirez, Jada Thelamour, Jade Thelamour, Meaghan Smith, Samina Moss, Karen Wert, Janeka Edey, Kenyonique Thompson, Hadassah Knowles, Giselle Laing, Ashya Butler, Demitra Mcclure, Valtinique Simmons, Kyrah Miller, Kendi Outten and Raynia Russell.

Acting Director of Sports in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Kelsie Johnson-Sills said the team has the ministry’s full support, stating that the growth of women’s sports in the country is important to the ministry.

“Congratulations to the team. Women in sports is truly a good thing, and for us in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, it is all about building. I’m 10 toes in with everything behind them when it comes to their success in sports. It is a good team and they have a bright future,” she said. “We in the ministry will be backing the team in whatever they set out to do. We encourage Bahamians to come out on Wednesday and support them as they continue to go for gold.”

Just The Bahamas, the USVI and Grenada compete out of League C in CONCACAF Nations League competition for this year. The team is anticipating advancement to League B, and eventually League A, in the not too distant future.