Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Coaching dilemma: VG United Coach teams play in different venues

Coaching dilemma: VG United Coach teams play in different venues

When Virgin Gorda Men and Women’s Football teams played on Tortola on Saturday, Coach Thomas “Manly” Albert found himself with a dilemma.
One team would suffer, as both his VG United Men’s team of which he’s Captain and VG United Women’s team which he coaches, were scheduled to play at different venues, with games starting 15 minutes apart-4:15 and 4:30 respectively.

The Men were Greenland, the Women-in the 5-A-Side League debut-were at Cedar School in Kingston.

The Men’s game against league leaders Islanders-which has been interrupted by COVID-19 and had its latest restart last month-had long been on the BVI Football Association schedule.

“The Manager was trying to let them know-the Football Association-not to do something like that,” Albert told Island Sun Sports. “Both VG teams cannot go and play on the same day, but I think they sent the information late. I’m the Head Coach of the Women’s team and had to send my assistant Anna French, but she had to play on the team.”

Albert said it was difficult for his Women’s team that lost to the Wolues 6-2, to play without him, while his men’s side was losing 3- to Islanders. During Monday’s practice, Albert said the first thing he asked was about the game.

“They said ‘Coach, you weren’t there. We didn’t play how we were to play because the assistant coach was on the field.’ If I were there, it would have been different,” he noted. “The first thing I did was apologize and I told them, remember, I’m the Captain of the VG United Men’s team and the team really needed me, but I still had an assistant to do the job.”

Albert said he spoke to his Men’s team manager and told him if it happens again, he’s be going with the Women’s team and someone will be in charge of the Men’s game.

“It was a rough spot,” Albert noted. “I’m on the field and I’m not feeling well. I tried to play against Islanders, but my mind was on the women’s game.”

When asked about the conflict, Lorrele Abrams told Island Sun Sports there wasn’t a particular reason but it was the only time the game could be played.

“A lot of things were taken into consideration and in order to get anything done, we just had to make a decision to start now and not to delay it further,” said Abrams noting the 2017 Hurricane displaced a lot of players. “it’s only a temporary decision. Hopefully come January, things will be better.”

Abrams said they did look at the BVIFA schedule in planning the league.

“There will be conflicts,” she said. “It’s because of the situation that was handed to us and we wanted to get the Women’s program off and running, this is the decision we had to make.”

Women’s Committee Chair Mary Phillips told Island Sun Sports the decision was made over her head.

“In fact, I would have preferred that we play and have all the guys come out and support the ladies,” she said. “Personally, I wouldn’t schedule a game for the men and have the ladies playing, especially for the opening. That was a decision of the others.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
×