Marley Christian has nailed her colours to the Island’s mast to hand the Bermuda women’s team a timely boost before the first round of the Caribbean Cup in Turk & Caicos next week.

Baltimore-based Christian has a Bermudian mother and Jamaican father but pledged her alliance to the Island because of its proximity to the East Coast of the United States.

A promising women’s high school player, Christian joined up with her new team-mates on Tuesday for her first Bermuda training session at BFA Field.

The 17-year-old said that Bermuda’s coaches had only become aware of her eligibility after watching her recent interview with SportsMax, the Jamaican broadcaster, focusing on talented high school athletes in the US with Caribbean heritage.

“I was contacted by [head coach] Naquita Robinson pretty soon after my interview with SportsMax and she got me to come down here,” said Christian, a regular visitor to Bermuda since childhood.

“Jamaica is a little far off and it would have taken me a little longer to [break into their team]. I wanted this experience at an early stage of my career.

“I don’t know any of the other players, so it’s going to be interesting, but I’m sure they will all be very nice.”

Christian, a no-nonsense defender, said that she is chomping at the bit to make her international bow in the Caribbean Cup, which also acts as a World Cup qualifier.

“I was excited that Bermuda were interested in me and I’m excited to be part of this competition,” Christian said.

“I’m a very strong tackler and I read the game very well — they’re my two strongest attributes.”

Robinson, the Bermuda head coach, said that she believes Christian will be a valuable addition to a side that she expects to finish top of group three, which includes hosts Turks & Caicos, St Kitts and Nevis and the Cayman Islands.

Bermuda must win the group or be one of the best two second-place finishers to advance to the competition’s final round.

“Marley had the option of playing for Jamaica, but she chose Bermuda and we have to thank Darrin Lewis [the director of athletics at Saltus Grammar School] for getting that ball rolling,” said Robinson, whose squad will be missing K’Shaela Burch-Waldron, a defender, because of a knee injury.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on Marley as she’s only 17, but she definitely gives us another option. I’m really excited about the possibilities presented to us in Turks and I believe we can win this group.”

Robinson, who will be taking charge of the team for the first time at a major competition, has also praised the influential role performed by Cheyra Bell, the Bermuda captain.

“Cheyra has really made life easy for the coaches, taking control of the warm-ups, and keeping the players in line,” said Robinson, whose team have been training six days a week for the past month. “It allows the coaches to get on with their jobs.

“Cheyra plays through pain and frustrations, and I know she will lead us into the next round. She can really play.”

Bell, an attacking midfielder, insists that the team is brimming with confidence after the gold-medal success at last year’s NatWest Island Games held on home soil.

“We definitely feel confident especially after our last tournament, the Island Games, when we were very successful,” said Bell, who plays for Footy Force in the Women’s Futsal League.

“The bond of the players is very important and we’ve been trying to break the Bermuda mentality: the laziness and people being late for training. The coaches have been trying to make us all more accountable for our actions.”

Group one consists of hosts Aruba, St Vincent and the Grenadines and US Virgin Islands; group two includes Martinique, Dominica, Barbados and hosts Puerto Rico; group four is made up of Haiti, the host nation, Cuba, Guadeloupe and Suriname, while Dominican Republic, the hosts, Jamaica, Anguilla and St Lucia make up group five.

The final stage of the Caribbean Cup will be held in Trinidad in August.

Bermuda’s fixtures

Friday, May 23: Turks & Caicos

Sunday, May 25: Cayman Islands

Tuesday, May 27: St Kitts and Nevis