PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Honorable Anil Roberts, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, wishes to express his heartfelt gratitude to the ‘Soca Princesses’ U17 football team on their supreme efforts on the field during the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup being held in Trinidad and Tobago.
The girls won the opening game against Chile – an accomplishment never before achieved by any other national team at international level. Of this, Minister Roberts said, the entire team – players and technical staff – should be justifiably proud.
There were several positives that emerged from the team’s performance during the tournament, which should redound to the long-term benefit of the game of football, particularly for women.
Although their 1-0 loss to North Korea sealed their exit from the tournament, Minister Roberts hopes the girls do feel a sense of accomplishment, not just for themselves but for the country and for women and girls in sport.
“The Ministry promotes the idea that women and girls should be afforded the opportunity to play at the highest level and to excel in sport. The U17 girls team has certainly lived up to this ideal and have put forward a strong case for the expansion of this ideal in other sporting disciplines.”
On behalf of the staff of the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Minister Roberts wishes the ‘Soca Princesses’ every success in their future endeavours and sincerely thanks them for all their hard work, sacrifice and dedication. They truly made the nation proud.
