Congratulations to players Trudi Carter, Khadija Shaw, and Konya Plummer have been selected to represent Jamaica in the U20 CONCACAF Women’s Championship slated for Cayman Islands, January 9 – 19, 2014.
[hr]Reggae Girl Shaw eyes award, World Cup qualification
By Howard Walker | Jamaica Observer
Jamaica’s precocious 16-year-old female footballer, Khadija Shaw, says it is an honour to be nominated for the RJR Sports People’s Choice Performance of the Year.Winning the award, she noted, and achieving the elusive feat of her team qualifying for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, would be a dream come true would be a bonus.
Shaw, a hard kicking midfielder who has been playing for Jamaica’s Under-20s from age 14, scored another spectacular goal which proved the winner against Trinidad and Tobago and crowned Jamaica Caribbean champions in October.
“I am feeling overwhelmed knowing that I am nominated for the People’s Choice Awards category, and yes, I would love to win it,” Shaw told Jamaica Observer.
Shaw, who plays for Harbour View, is part of a 20-member squad that will depart the island today for Florida for a seven-day training camp which will include two practice games.
Then on January 7, the team leaves for the Cayman Islands for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifications scheduled for January 9-19.
Jamaica are drawn in Group A alongside perennial powerhouse United States of America, Costa Rica and Guatemala in the eight-team tournament of which three teams will qualify for the World Cup set for August 5-24 in Canada.
Shaw, who led Jamaica’s Under-17s to fourth place in the World Cup qualifiers in November in Montego Bay, will be hoping to go one better with the Under-20s.
“Well our chances are really good. The team is a really good team and we are confident and staying focus and once we do that, we will surely make it,” said Shaw.
The powerful-build midfielder, said she is in good form and will be hoping for “great things and more spectacular goals”. My game is going well right now,” she said.
Shaw has been nominated alongside footballer Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson, jockey Dane Nelson and track athletes Javon Francis and Yaniqiue Thompson in the category of People’s Choice Performance of the Year.
The Jamaican public is again being invited to be involved in the selection process by voting for the winner. This year’s voting will take place by either text messaging or voice calls on a voting platform established by Digicel and also through voting on the Jamaica Observer social media internet pages, online platform or a purpose built email address.
The winner will be announced on January 10 at the RJR’s Sports Foundation’s National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.
Khadija Shaw (right) in action for Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Girlz against Trinidad and Tobago in the final of the CFU qualifiers in Kingston in October. Jamaica won 1-0 to be crowned champions.