Bermuda under-20 women’s football team coach Aaron Denkins is excited that more players are expressing an interest in representing the island.

Denkins used the Christmas break to hold a training camp as he prepared his team for next year’s Concacaf Under-20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. They are gearing up for a trip to Trinidad & Tobago, where they will face Canada, Dominica and the hosts from February 20 to 26.

During the camp at the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence, Denkins welcomed ten overseas-based players, including 15-year-old Bahamian-born Kaylee Murray, who has expressed an interest in switching her allegiance to Bermuda, where her mother is from.

“It’s exciting to have more players wanting to represent Bermuda,” Denkins told The Royal Gazette. “We had midfielder Kaylee Murray. She was born in Bahamas and her mother is Bermudian. She has applied for a transfer of association so we are waiting for that to happen, but it’s good to have her as part of our programme as she gives us more options to choose from.

“We are looking to build our team around players such as Katherine Bean-Rosario, Robin-Valana Pearman and Breanna DaSilva Medeiros.”

With the senior women’s team also preparing for a hectic schedule in 2025, the two teams trained together.

“The under-20 training camp was held along with the senior women’s national team coaching staff and players,” Denkins said. “Due to the number of returning players and the senior team also preparing for competition in January, the staff thought it was best to combine preparation efforts.

“The under-20s are eligible for senior team selection so it only made sense, regarding playing style, standards and player familiarity, to train together.

“In total there were 27 players in camp, ten of them under-20 players returning home from the UK and US. For varying reasons, three players did not return home for the holiday. The under-17s are also preparing for competition in January, with older players eligible for the February tournament.”

If Bermuda finish top of their group in Trinidad, they will proceed to the championship, joining the United States and Mexico, the two top-ranked Concacaf associations in this age group.

The championship stage will feature eight teams split into two groups of four. After round-robin play, the group winners and runners-up will advance to the semi-finals and qualify for the Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Denkins is counting on strong relationships built by players over the years while playing in the Bermuda Football Association leagues to carry the team through the qualifiers.

“The majority of the players have grown up playing with each other and play in the BFA Women’s league together, so the bonding part is easy,” he added.

“Preparing them mentally, physically and tactically is the tricky part, but with modern technology, distance is not too much of a barrier any more.

“The final team will be selected three weeks prior to the tournament. We have played against all three of our opponents [Canada, Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica] before, so we know what to expect. The players will be prepared and ready to give their best.”