Tamara Ann Williams - Seaview Gardens coach

On Monday March 8, Jamaica joined the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. We saluted a number of women who have blazed a trail of glory both locally and internationally . The country paid tribute and saluted trail blazers of the ilk such as Portia Simpson Miller ,Shelly -Ann Fraser, Veronica Campbell, Paula Llewellyn, Louise Bennett Coverley, Molly Rhone, Nanny of the Maroons, Zaila McCalla ,Dian Abbott, Dionne Hemmings and Mary Seacole among many others.

The KSAFA has its own heroine –Tamara Williams, coach of Seaview Gardens. On Sunday March 7,one day shy of International Women’s Day, the Club was handed the Syd Bartlett trophy to the jubilation of the community. Tammie as she is affectionately called, had created history- she was the first woman to coach a KSAFA men’s senior team to a KSAFA title.

Many may ask, who is this 33 year old woman?

Tamara Ann Williams was born at the UWI Hospital on September 26,1976.

She grew up in Seaview Gardens and following in the footstep of her father and siblings, attended Mico Practising All age between 1983-89. It was here that she honed her early skill playing inter-form football matches with alma-maters such as Cornel Chinsue. There was not much for her by way of football when she went on to Tivoli Gardens High school (1991-1996 )as there was no football competition for high school girls. However , Tivoli coach Dave Clarke informed her of the KSAFA Women’s League and she went and tried out at Rae Town with Boogie Girls where she sat at the feet of coach Percival ‘Itesman’ Cordwell in 1992.

Tammie found the going rough and couldn’t break into a team that was to parade some of the more skilful nationals such as Nadia “Schillachi” Berwise and a Carlene Tyson. Still in school, she therefore watched from the sidelines as Boogie Girls dominated the KSAFA Women’s Major League over the next two years. It was not surprising therefore when she moved on to the new outfit, John Barnes United. It was here playing at centre forward that Tamara Williams led her team to dominate the KSAFA Women’s league and established a firm grip on the Esso trophy for the next three years ,playing alongside such players as Jackie Cummings ,Grace Butterfield and June Cover.

Winston Chung Fah called Williams to the national team in 1995. She went to Canada that same year where Jamaica played in a qualifying tournament against USA, Canada ,Mexico and T&T. It was here she scored her first international goal against Trinidad and Tobago. Back home, Williams moved onto Maverley Hugenden and carried them to the tile in the 1996-97 season. The local Women’s Football league by then was taken over by the JFF and the Jamaica Womens Football Association was led by Elaine Walker Brown . Just as she attained a football scholarship to Lindsey Wilson College , Kentucky ,USA in 1997,she was again called to the national squad by Jackie Walters. She Jetted in from Kentucky to Kingston and then to Haiti where she was mainly used as a utility player in the qualifying tournament.

In 2001, she graduated from Lindsey College with a BSc degree in Physical Education with a minor in Counseling. Whilst in the USA she took the opportunity to attain a level 2 coaching certificate from the NAIA. She also did a stint of teaching and coaching at Mount Vernon High School in New York. Once she returned home in 2003, Tamara was roped in by the President of Seaview Gardens, Earl Pinto who assigned her the U20 team. Playing women’s football was still in her blood and she soon joined up with the newly formed United Strikers .However the club was requested to seek affiliation with an accredited KSAFA affiliate and this they did by joining forces with Barbican FC. Playing under the banner of Barbican and under coach Charles Edwards they won four ( 4 ) JFF women’s title between 2004-2006. Peter Prendegast invited her to join his panel of coaches in the Digicel Summer Camp and she was to be part of this youth venture from 2004-2008 . She is presently coaching at Hopefield Prep in addition to her stint as overall technical director at Seaview Gardens.

Single and mother of a son, the quietly disposed list her interest as coaching and socializing.