Simoes

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

NATIONAL TECHNICAL director Rene Simoes singled out confidence as one of the major tools required for local female footballers looking to play the game at a higher level and, in the same breath, the Brazilian encouraged them to seize every available opportunity with both hands.

"If you don't show up the quality that you have inside then you can forget it, only you will know that you have it," Simoes said in addressing a gathering at the Sherwin Williams Women's Premier League and A League award ceremony at the Jamaica Football Federation head office on Thursday evening.

"Not because you are woman, you have to discover the courage inside of you to push your talent out. It makes no sense to hold talent inside," he said.

"What I have seen here is exactly what I saw in 1994 with the Boyz. I told them they had talent and they laughed." On Thursday, the female footballers received their rewards for the just completed league season, A league and knockout competition. For the Colour Scape knockout competition, Nicola Bell was presented with Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours for winners Harbour View. Teshian Thomas of runners-up Waterhouse received the top goalscorer award.

Top scorer

In the A League, Tashika Gordon scored 12 goals to be crowned top scorer of that league and Kerry-Ann Smallwood of St. Catherine Upliftment was named MVP.

Reno's Tameka Barrett received the top goalkeeper award and the Westmoreland team's Junior Francis was named coach of the year.

A League runners-up Arnett Gardens walked away with the fairplay award, while Reno received the champions trophy.

In the Premier League, national representative Venecia Reid received the top goalscorer award, while Alicia James of Barbican was voted league MVP.

Waterhouse were presented with the championship trophy, while Portmore received the second-place award. Harbour View's Vin Blaine, who was recently promoted to manager of the national team, received the coach of the year award.

In his address, Simoes encouraged the women to take the game seriously as there were legitimate opportunities to earn a living from the sport.

"If you love the game, there is the potential to make your living through football," he said

"In 1994 they thought coach was crazy, hardly anybody played outside Jamaica, now the list I have is 51 players overseas."