Boost for Barbados women’s football Guinness oldest
Caribbean Life, Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2020 35
By George Alleyne
Women’s football in Barbados is in for a
lift with the arrival on island of British Premier
League player and legendary former
captain of Wigan Athletic, Emmerson
Boyce, for his first coaching stint focussed
mainly on females.
Boyce, a Barbadian who represented his
country in 2008, recently arrived on the
island for a stay until end of the month and
began taking the girls through their paces
since Wednesday, October 21.
After playing for Chelsea in the UK Premier
League, Boyce moved onto Wigan
Athletic and as captain led his side to winning
the FA Cup in 2013. In so doing he
became the first black Caribbean player to
achieve the feat.
Now retired from first class football and
currently making appearances for nonleague
side, Ashton Town, the 40-yearold
studied for and earned his coaching
badges.
He plans opening the Emmerson Boyce
Foundation in his homeland and to sign
a memorandum of understanding with
the Barbados Football Association Tuesday,
October 27, which indicates he will be in
Barbados often for more coaching periods.
“I want to give something back to Barbados
and I spoke to BFA president Randy
Harris over the last couple of years and
he always wanted me to get involved,”
Boyce told the Barbados TODAY online
newspaper.
He said, “as a country we got to embrace
it. I am hoping to start my foundation here
as well and for me, I am excited about that
and it is about getting everybody involved.
From the government, the BFA, just everybody
that is going to support this project.”
The Bajan who began playing for English
clubs fromage 16 and spent nine years
in the prestigious Premier League, taking
the field for over 600 games, said, “if I
can give something back to the community
it is going to be fantastic and I can
do it through football. So we want to get
more and more girls involved and fingers
crossed, more people would come out and
support this project”.
“It is not so much about developing
women’s football but also the education
part as well. So, anything football related
that I can get people involved, women and
girls involved and getting them into the
education part of it is going to be fantastic.
… to raise the women’s game is going to
be massive,” Boyce said.
Involvement of this former prime time
football player in English competitions
may prove helpful for the Barbadian girls
who have never qualified for a major international
tournament.
By Azad Ali
Trinidad and Tobago Powerboat racer
Ken Charles dubbed “Mr Solo,” has been
recognized by the Guinness World as
the oldest professional powerboat racer
in the world.
Charles, 76, the owner/driver of perennial
TT Great Race winner Mr. Solo,
has been racing since the early 1960s
before the Great Race began.
The Guinness World Records website
posted recently: “The oldest professional
race boat driver is Kenneth Charles
(Trinidad and Tobago, b.1 August 1944)
who is 75 years and 17 days old, as verified
in TTT on August 2019, Mr. Kenneth
Charles has been awarded a lifetime
membership from the TTBA (TT Powerboat
Association) for his participation
and contribution since the association’s
inception in 1970”.
Charles, who competed in Florida for
several years, has only missed one edition
of the TT Great Race. Mr. Solo has
won the TT Great Race 18 times.
In 2018, Charles sister decided to
write Guinness World Records to inquire
if her brother was the oldest racer in the
world.
Charles said after all the background
checks with her it was found that he is
the oldest powerboat racer in the world.
Wigan Athletic’s Emmerson Boyce during a match against Wolverhampton
Wanderers in the Sky Bet Football League Championship at the DW Stadium.
Action Images / Ed Sykes
professional
powerboat racer
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