The first Official All Female Soccer Team has finally been established on St. Maarten. The Oualichi Women’s Soccer team has been meeting for nearly a month, training at the new Christian Hillside School Gym in Belair to home the team’s soccer skills.
The team, the brainchild of Danaë Daal, Treaty lawyer with the Government of St. Maarten, is the first official all female soccer team on the island. "There were many women who, just like myself, were interested in playing women’s soccer on the island but who were unable to do so due to the lack of a professionally coached and managed team. When Oualichi was started there were some significant challenges in the beginning, firstly due to the lack of a properly lit training field to practice on and secondly in looking for sponsorship to get the necessary equipment. But the Christian Hillside School has graciously allowed us to use their gym and coach David Forsythe has been giving us excellent training for the past few weeks," commented Ms. Daal.
The team comprises of some thirteen women ranging from fifteen to forty years in age and meets every Tuesday and Thursday from six to seven fifteen. "We are truly a team with women from different parts of the community, but united through our love of soccer. Our hope is to eventually train on a field and represent St. Maarten’s women through-out the region," continued Ms. Daal.
The launching of the team is a first for St. Maarten, with previously women having to join school teams or train on their own. The name of the team is also unique as Oualichi, one of the original Arawak names for the St. Maarten, means Land of Strong Women. The team is currently still in the process of developing itself and looking for more ladies who are interested in joining. The Management for the team is appealing to the business community for sponsoring St. Maarten’s first official female soccer team. For more information please contact ou************@gm***.com.