Promising schoolboy footballer Roman Garness is yet to visit Saint Lucia, but he is hopeful of a glittering career in the national uniform.
Born and raised in the United Kingdom, the nine-year-old Garness has ties to Saint Lucia on both sides of his family, with grandparents from the southern community of Augier. And he is keen to follow in the footsteps of British-born players like senior national men’s captain Terell Thomas.
“Playing for Saint Lucia means everything to us,” said Matthew Garness, Roman’s dad.
“It’s more than just football, it’s about honouring our roots. Roman comes from strong Saint Lucian blood on both sides of the family, with deep ties to Augier, Vieux Fort, and proud connections to the Chitolie, Sumayah and Garness families.
“We’ve always raised him with a sense of patriotism, culture and identity, from learning Creole at home to cooking Lucian dishes and celebrating with soca and ska.
Representing Saint Lucia isn’t just a dream; it’s a responsibility we take seriously, and one that Roman carries with pride.
“At a time when Caribbean football is growing and gaining attention, we’re eager to help put Saint Lucia on the football map. Roman would be honoured to play his part, not just for the badge, but for his grandparents, his heritage, and every young Saint Lucian with big dreams.”
Garness has shone in the Under-9 division for the Bishops Stortford Centre, Harlow Town FC and Norwich FC. He helped guide the Harlow Town Eagles Under-9s to the Emerald Division Cup title and the top of their league earlier this year. Norwich coach Kieren Smith gave the lad a solid all-round assessment at season’s end.
“Roman is a very intelligent player,” Smith said. “He is a player who makes smart runs, is capable of combination play and can finish a chance very well from many types of angles. His understanding of the game is better than most, and creativity comes quite naturally to him.
“One thing I challenge Roman to do moving forward is to communicate with his teammates and take a leading role in progressing the ball forward. His runs create space for teammates and scoring opportunities for himself and others, so just small snippets of information he could shout out would help him and his team score more goals.”
Roman’s journey started at just six years old with Harlow Tekkers FC. He is now signed to Harlow Town FC, and his rise through the ranks has been nothing short of remarkable. From grassroots beginnings at Harlow Tekkers to cup-winning success with Harlow Town FC, Roman’s passion and progress are undeniable.
In his fourth season at Norwich FC and second year with their Advanced Development Squad, Garness continues to grow into an exciting young prospect. He has also been developed by coach Lester Thomas with Elite Pro Sport over the past three seasons.
Since his early days with Elite Pro Sport’s Under-11s at age seven, Garness has played above his level. Now at Harlow Town FC, he’s ready to compete in Under-11s and is being considered to make the leap to Under-14s.
In the coming months, Garness is planning to visit Saint Lucia with his family and is hopeful of trialling with the national youth team. His father said that this should be the first of many trips to come, as the talented boy seeks to deepen his connection to the island. His family here are equally eager to meet him, after years of video calling with his cousins.
nice to see Lucian football progressing. Overseas and talents players add more to a team and bring attention to the island
Bishops Stortford Centre, Harlow Town FC and Norwich FC are teams people here in England have hardly heard of. If this youngster was at the top of his game he would be representing teams like Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool and if he was playing for them at the junior level his parents would not be thinking of St Lucia. Who are they trying to kid?
They go on to brag about teaching him Kwayol among other things. I wonder why as most kids born in London to Lucian parents do NOT want to speak the Kwayol language. They are ashamed of it. St Lucia lost 4- nil to Curacao a team that they should have beaten to help set them up on their way to the World Cup next year. There are plenty of Lucian heritage kids born and bred in the UK who ply their football trade here – Most of them refuse to play for the national team. It is only when they don’t make it in the top echelons of the English league that they want to play for St Lucia to see if a premier league club will pick them. They don’t have St Lucia’s best interest at heart.
Ask yourselves why would a kid so young want to aspire to play for a team that is not even in FIFA’s top 60 countries.- St Lucia currently sits at 165 in the FIFA World rankings. This young kid should he make it and I hope he does will not want to play for St Lucia- Let’s be honest. If England comes calling he will play for England if he makes it to the premier league. It is nice to see Augier in the news as I have not seen much about this part of VFort in the news previously. The parents of this child prodigy needs to be realistic.
A lot of talented kids fall by the wayside. I remember back in 1999, a young football prodigy was on the books of several clubs including Arsenal. He was 9 at the time and everybody was mesmerised by his footballing talent. He was the grandson of Lord Pitt of Hampstead, one of the first black members of the UK’s House Of Lords and all of a sudden he vanished. I have not heard of him ever since. Whatever happened to him. We have to be very careful how we push kids for our own selfish interest as parents. Look at how Gary Coleman from Different Strokes fell by the wayside after his parents took total control of his earnings and everything in his showbiz lifestyle. Stop depending on our kids to make it so we can live this lavish lifestyle that we have always craved for– We need to work for our living. Stop pushing children – Let them live their lives as kids.
Great feature. Nice to see progression and development with our players
What good news we have. This takes away the usual news of crime and issues with the youth. Well done young man, let’s hope you get selected and put our island on the map.
Roman’s passion, discipline, and deep connection to his roots make him a true ambassador for the island—on and off the pitch. We stand behind him 100% and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Let’s put Saint Lucia on the football map, one goal at a time!