Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Mark Rodrigues appointed Lady Jags Head Coach
– Olympic Qualifiers is first priority
By Franklin Wilson
When the history of the Guyana’s Lady Jags is documented, the name Mark Rodrigues has to be prominently etched in its pages having been the rock behind its assembling and historic performances.
Newly appointed Lady Jags Head Coach Mark Rodrigues (left) chatting with a future Lady Jag yesterday at the Tucville ground. TD Bolton is at right.
The Lady Jags is the first team (male or female) from the shores of Guyana to have qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup finals back in 2010.
It is against this backdrop and the fact that the Normalisation Committee of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is seeking to return to that era and even surpass it that they have engaged the services of Rodrigues as Head Coach for the Lady Jags once again.
The announcement was made during the lunch break of the GFF’s CONCACAF Women’s Day activity yesterday at the Tucville Community Centre ground. Technical Director of the GFF Claude Bolton made the announcement and introduced Rodrigues to the players and coaches present.
Commenting on the appointment which is specific to the Olympic Qualifiers where Guyana has been drawn in Group 4 along with host St. Kitts & Nevis and long time rival Cuba, the USA based Rodrigues who will be performing free of coast for the GFF and Guyana, said he is very excited to be at the helm of the programme once again.
“I’m looking forward to the qualifying games and to the level of the team we’ll be able to put together now. All expectations and from all my contact with the players from the past and the new, the team would be significantly stronger than what it was in 2010.”
Rodrigues revealed that they would not be starting from scratch since the player pool as it stands is over 50 international players, that base is as a result of the work since 2009.
“We can put a set of solid players on the field for specific match-ups against the competition that we’ll be taking on. It’s a lot more exciting for a coach when he has that type of ammunition to go into a game so Trinidad and Jamaica, be on guard.”
The overseas based players, like has happened in the past would be home in July for a camp ahead of the August 21 – 25 qualifiers.
Bolton, Rodrigues said would be working with the local based females and would be compiling the names of those who have the potential to be part of the programme. TD Bolton said that while only one staff has been named to date, they are currently looking at other staff which would be known shortly.
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