Tottenham Hotspur star ready for CFU Women’s Challenge series
Tottenham Hotspur women’s team attacker Shakira Waithe is looking forward to her debut for Barbados against Cuba in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s Challenge series today at the UWI/JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Barbados and Cuba will play alongside hosts Jamaica in the inaugural series, which serves as a warm-up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“It is really a good opportunity for the team to be together ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in May. It is an awesome feeling for the team to play here in Jamaica,” Waithe told STAR Sports, during her team’s training session at the match venue yesterday.
“I think it will give us added confidence to get off to a good start against Cuba tomorrow. We are pretty confident to go out and have a good game. I am also looking forward to playing against the Jamaicans.”
Waithe, who will be playing with her teammates for the first, is expected to bring some fire upfront for the Barbadians.
“This is going to be my first time training with the girls and first ever tournament with the Barbados team. I find training with the girls good. They are really friendly and it is working so far,” the 22-year-old pointed out.
“I am not sure about adding experience to the team, it is about us working together as a unit.”
Waithe has been part of the Tottenham women’s programme from she was a little girl and worked her way up to the first team.
“I have been there since age 11, and been through the Tottenham age groups, and was moved to the first team when I was about 17. We train at the men’s team ground and – it is good so far,” Waithe said.
She said: “I was born in the UK to Barbadian parents and growing up in a Barbados household in England, I decided to represent my parents’ country. I feel more comfortable to represent my people.”