Change of venue poses new challenge for Reggae Girlz
Published:Sunday | March 27, 2022 | 12:11 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
THE CHANGE of venue for the Reggae Girlz’s decisive World Cup qualifier next month may not be ideal but national senior women’s interim head coach Vin Blaine says the focus must not be about elements out of their control.
Jamaica’s final game of the first round of the Women’s World Cup qualifier has been switched from the National Stadium to Sabina Park on April 12 when they face the Dominican Republic.
While both teams are tied on six points, the Dominican Republic lead Group C with a superior goal difference. Only the group winner will advance to the final round of the qualifiers which takes place this July in Mexico.
The change in venue was brought on because of the loaded schedule at the National Stadium, with the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships taking place a week before the game.
Blaine said the concerns regarding the readiness of a section of the pitch was the reason behind the change but is confident that the surface at Sabina Park would be good to play on when the time comes.
NO CHOICE
“My choice would have been the National Stadium but that is out. I can’t concentrate on the field too much. We have no choice. It’s just a matter of them getting the pitch up to standard for the game. I think that they will have time,” Blaine told The Sunday Gleaner.
“Once it gets watered properly and the grass comes back up. As long as the ball will roll and we have a chance to train on it before, I think we will be OK.”
Sabina Park has hosted Jamaica Premier League games recently. However, the time for the Girlz to acclimate themselves with the surface is limited as they will have two days from their April 9 game against the Cayman Islands to get used to the surface.
Despite the challenges, Blaine said his unit had to ensure that the team was mentally prepared to complete the mission of winning all their group games, saying that they cannot make any excuses.
“We don’t have much time, but if we can get two or three training sessions on it just for the girls to get a feel of it, it should be OK. Mentally, we have to get them prepared to play on that surface. That’s all I can do,” Blaine said.
“Both teams will be playing on it. We just have to go out there with a positive attitude and think about the game and not about the pitch.”