Aaliya Nolan – the 16-year-old saviour from Bermuda

File Photo: Bermuda Footbal

Bermuda is home to fewer than 100,000 inhabitants, yet when it comes to football, they repeatedly punch well above their weight. Clyde Best, Shaun Goater, Kyle Lightbourne and more recently, Nahki Wells are all iconic footballers who were born and educated on the island. The latest to appear off the conveyor belt of talent is Aaliya Nolan, a 16-year-old girl, who is rapidly making a name for herself.

Born into a football-mad family, her father and brother played at club level and she was introduced to the sport when she was 11. It was with PHC Zebras – a renowned team located in the north of the island – where she started to find her strengths,winning several awards including the coveted Leading Goalscorer prize. Three years later her upward trajectory continued, as she moved to play at the National Academy level at age 14.

With her life progressing so quickly, Nolan had to seriously mull over her options. She had been involved in track and field commitments since an early age and knew that a decision had to be made on either football or athletics. Tellingly, she stopped track and field last year purely to focus more on the sport she looks so destined to succeed in.

Her performances of late for the national Under-17 and Under-20 teams have been sparkling and crucially match-winning. This summer has been somewhat chaotic, with Nolan at the heart of three major competitions.

In July, she played a key role in the senior Bermuda team’s victory at the Island Games – staged every two years – in the Women’s Football category. Nolan scored in the 5-1 rout of Greenland and then struck again a day later in an even bigger win against Hitra (an island off Norway).

Bermuda prevailed in the Final on penalties, but there was certainly no respite for Nolan who was immediately rushed off to link up with the Under-20 squad for the Caribbean 2014 U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Jamaica.

Placed in a taxing group alongside hosts Jamaica, Cuba and Curacao, the ‘Gumbey Warriors’ lost twice and managed one win (a 3-0 win over Curacao). Nolan bagged a fantastic hat-trick in the space of just 13 minutes.

In a game that was for large parts entirely bleak, uninspiring and just screaming for a piece of artistry to get the crowd off their feet, Nolan delivered. Despite the three points, the team finished third, thus failing to qualify to the next round next month to be contested in Puerto Rico.

In the space of 13 days this worn out teenager had played six full matches. But it didn’t stop there.

There was a week or so to recuperate before the meeting up with the Under-17 ladies for another set of gruelling World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean zone, although this time for the next year’s U-17 tournament to be held in Costa Rica.

Manager Aaron Denkins’ side’s job was made that little bit easier with the news that Aruba had withdrawn. This left three in Group A, effectively meaning Bermuda had to win only one game and they were more or less home and hosed.

After seeing off Bahamas 4-2 – with Nolan again netting a fine hat-trick – they lost to Puerto Rico but it didn’t affect the outcome too much. Nolan’s goals had helped fire her country to the next stage, which commenced yesterday. The squad travel to Haiti for what promises to be a gruelling group with Trinidad, Dominican Republic and Grenada also in the mix.

To advance to the final round of qualifiers next month, you must finish top of the pile, so it is paramount for Bermuda get off to a convincing start against the Haitians in their first outing.

Courtesy of Bermuda Sun

National Academy director Richard Todd is cautiously optimistic and has been speaking about the group.

“Looking at past rankings, I’d expect Trinidad to be a good side and Grenada and Dominican Republic to be pretty tough as well.We aren’t expecting any easy matches and I’d say we have a fifty-fifty chance of advancing from the final stage of the Caribbean qualifiers.

Asked on Nolan and her potential influence, boss Denkins told local football journalist James Burton;

”Aaliyah loves to score goals and she loves to do the things to get into position to score goals. She’s an athlete and it shows at all levels. She’s a mainstay and the only player to have scored in all three tournaments in one summer. That’s something she should be very proud of.”

If Bermuda succeed and qualify for the final proceedings, Nolan is likely to be at the fulcrum of it. At such a young, tender age she has a wonderful career path ahead and with her humble attitude and refusal to forget her roots, she will go far.

“My parents and my brother support me 100 per cent and are my number one fans. Also my soccer coaches, my National Academy Women’s team-mates and my Bermuda National team-mates, who value my contribution and encourage me. I’m very thankful.”

Electrifyingly quick, fearless, inventive and peerless when through on goal, it would be tremendous to see Nolan gracing the World Cup turf next year. She has practically carried both the U-17 and U-20 sides throughout the summer in some vital games and deserves to be rewarded.

At the moment, she is juggling educational studies – she’s in line to graduate in two years – with football commitments at club side Sidekicks FC in the Eastern Massachusetts Women’s Soccer League. As well as this, she also does Indoor Futsal during the off- season, something that for her will be a welcome break.

On the subject of women’s football in Bermuda, generally, it is developing at an alarming rate. Last year, Nacquita Robinson was appointed as the first female coach of the island’s women’s national team and Todd has extensive plans for the future.

“We’re looking to expand the programme with an intake of under-13 girls coming into the National Academy this year. Certainly there is more emphasis in putting in place resources to support the development of women’s football in Bermuda. The most important thing for us to do now is develop a sustainable women’s youth football league — that’s the biggest challenge we’re facing right now.”

The positive thing is at least the hierarchy know what they want and are laying out targets to achieve those goals. The system of the National Academy has undoubtedly been a large factor in Nolan’s enhancement on and off the field and it continues to act as a worthwhile tool.

This week is set up for precocious attacker to shine in Haiti. Will she? You’d be a fool to bet against her. Aaliya Nolan, Bermuda’s leading young light. Remember the name.