Diamonds blaze a trail in the Caribbean
Lichfield Diamonds Ladies blazed a trail for English football with a landmark trip to Barbados, writes Connor Benns.
The club are the first women's football team from this country to tour Barbados where they faced the Barbados Under-18s team at the National Stadium in St Michael.
Diamonds tasted the high-life as they stayed at the luxurious Sandy Lane Resort where they mixed with millionaires during the day before playing football at night.
The ladies participated in a training session with local club Eden Stars at the Barbados Football Association's new facility. The session resulted in a combination of both teams forming the 'Diamond Stars', who took on the national side the following night.
Sadly for the side they fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat despite Karen Clough's early goal handing them a half-time lead.
The Caribbean side then made their home advantage tell with two second-half goals that led them to victory.
Diamonds chairman Mic Sharrod was delighted with the experience that the girls received from the tour. He said: "It was a fantastic opportunity for the players and the coaches to travel to Barbados to meet and play with players from a different culture and work with other coaches.
Sharrod hopes the team can return next year after a successful meeting with Barbados FA's vice-president, Al Walcott, over future football and coaching opportunities for Diamonds coaches and players.
Anyone who is interesting in joining the Lichfield Diamond Ladies, contact Mic on 01543254069 or 07790638714 or email on micsharrod@btinternet.com
