Former T&T women’s footballer on USA cricket team

Former national women’s footballer Nadia Gruny is now making a name for herself playing cricket for the United States women’s cricket team. The Tobago-born US College graduate, who turns 27 on April 23, was part of the T&T Under-17 women’s team in 2001 under Brazilian Julio Leal and Jamaal Shabazz, before moving to the US on a football scholarship. This was through the effort of Shabazz. Gruny eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing at South Carolina State University.

In May 2008, she completed an MBA and Masters in Sports Business Management at the University of Central Florida. Some time later that same year, she read about the US hosting its first women’s cricket championship and decided to form her own cricket team. She met up with the US women’s chairman of selection Linden Fraser in December 2009 and was invited to a one-on-one training session and was eventually invited to participate in the US Women’s Cricket National Championship in June last year which was being used trials for selection on the national team for tour to Canada. 

Gruny impressed the selectors and went on to be part of the team which defeated Canada and qualified for the Women’s Global World Cup qualifiers in Bangladesh set for November. “It’s been a long but exciting journey. “I came here on a football scholarship after playing for the U-17 women’s team. I completed my courses, graduated and here I am now with an opportunity to keep myself involved in sports as a player. “It feels great to represent the USA in cricket but Trinidad and moreso Tobago will always be my first home,” Gruny said.The ICC’s eligibility rules allow Gruny, who has lived in the US for eight years, to represent the US.