Saint Lucia's football authorities have taken a step towards widening the game's reach among young girls, staging a Girls' Football Festival at the Babonneau Playing Field in the north of the island. The event, held on September 26th and organised by the Saint Lucia Football Association together with the Babonneau Football League, brought dozens of primary-age girls onto the field for a day of drills, matches and mentoring, all aimed at building a competitive under-13 girls' side.
As reported by The Voice St. Lucia News, the festival was the product of weeks of groundwork. League president Mr Sidoine, working with SLFA representatives Ms Philbert and Ms Krysan St. Louis, met principals and physical education teachers from six primary schools serving the Babonneau area: La Guerre, Boguis, Des Barras Combined, Babonneau, Balata and Fond Assau. Those conversations centred on persuading more girls to take up the game and on winning support for it within the wider community.
The day itself began with opening remarks from Sidoine and the Honourable John Estephane, who commended the girls for the energy they brought to the occasion. Krysan St. Louis then led an educational session, using a short presentation to set out the opportunities that sport can open up, stressing that football offers rewards away from the pitch as well as on it.
The keynote inspiration came from Kayla Polius, Saint Lucia's Junior Female Footballer of the Year, who told the young players to stay humble, work hard and believe that one day they could go on to represent their country.
On the field, the festival was deliberately hands-on. Coaches ran the girls through the fundamentals: dribbling, passing, shooting, ball control and coordination exercises. Small-sided matches followed, letting the players test their new skills in game situations and giving coaches a first look at the talent pool emerging in the district.
Closing the day, SLFA president Lyndon Cooper and technical director Miran Louis set out the Association's vision: sustained participation, structured player development and a defined route into organised competition. The immediate target is the formation of a strong Babonneau under-13 girls' team to contest the SLFA Girls' U13 Competition. A second phase of the programme will work to retain at least 25 girls, so that the enthusiasm generated at the festival becomes a lasting pathway for young female footballers.
The Association thanked the Babonneau Football League, the participating schools, teachers, coaches, parents and volunteers, with particular thanks to sponsors and supporters Forest Springs, the National Lotteries Authority and Hon. John Estephane.
For anyone following sport in Saint Lucia, the festival fits a familiar pattern. Football is played in virtually every village on the island, from beach strips to floodlit artificial pitches, and the Saint Lucia Football Association was founded in 1979, with the men's national team a FIFA member since 1988. Youth initiatives like this one in Babonneau are how that grassroots base is renewed, and the SLFA has made girls' development an explicit part of its planning.
Visitors who come for the beaches and the Pitons are often surprised by how visible the game is. Community grounds such as the Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort have stands and floodlights, Soufrière has a mini stadium beside the town, and village matches are friendly and cheap to watch. Ask your hotel about local fixtures and there is usually a game within reach, making football one of the more rewarding things to do in St Lucia beyond the usual excursions.
Babonneau itself sits in the green hills inland from the north of the island, a short drive from the resorts and hotels in St Lucia where most visitors base themselves. It is walking and farming country rather than beach country, and it pairs naturally with a morning of hiking in St Lucia's forest trails before an afternoon at a match or a village event.
For families considering holidays to St Lucia, a festival like this is a reminder that the island's calendar is full of community gatherings that welcome outside visitors. School-age sport, church events and village fêtes sit alongside the bigger draws, and timing a trip around them is often a matter of knowing what is on locally, whatever the best time to visit St Lucia turns out to be for your own plans.
The next step for the programme is clear: the SLFA will work towards a Babonneau under-13 girls' squad ready to enter the national U13 competition, with the retention phase designed to keep at least 25 girls involved. If it succeeds, the girls who spent September 26th learning to pass and shoot will have a season of organised football waiting for them, and a visible route from a village pitch towards national selection.
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