00:00I always wanted to coach. I always said that was one of the areas I felt I was blessed
00:05even from birth. Both my parents were coaches. So even from then, I wanted to be a coach.
00:12And then again, just falling in love with football, playing, and then the coaches that
00:17I had, they inspired me to become a coach.
00:20While her calling was to coach, Ayana Russell started her career as a standout defender
00:24with the National Women's Team. And after falling narrowly short of creating history
00:28herself, as coach, she can now inspire younger players to take that extra step.
00:33We were one point away from qualifying for the World Cup. And when I see the state of
00:37women's football right now, where we can't get past the first round, it is heartbreaking.
00:43So one of the questions that would have been asked to the group is, what can you do to
00:49change women's football? And that is the players, the staff, that's everybody involved, you
00:53know, just to get back that respect that we had in Tonka Calf, in the Caribbean, because
00:58we were number one when I played.
01:01With the roles reversed, coach Russell can now distinguish the similarities between this
01:05group and her 2014 squad.
01:07A lot of people say they remind them of my group, the group that came close to qualifying
01:14for the World Cup, one point away. In some ways, there are some players. And the team
01:21itself, the story itself does remind me, definitely not willing to take that outcome. And I think
01:28with that group, I see some of these similar issues. So that's why we take pride in teamwork.
01:36So this group, as I say, we have some special individuals, but we are pushing teamwork.
01:43And she gave some insight into the characteristics and tactical approach of her national players.
01:48We have a much better foundation now, and that has been the focus. So now we can play,
01:53not possession football. Possession football is probably for Spain and those teams who
01:57have been doing it from the age of three. We play based and we are very athletic,
02:03and a little more sound technically also. So I think that, I don't want to give away too much,
02:10but we have a very simple game model that the girls, as I said, they are really buying into it.
02:15Terence Clark, TV6 Sport.
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