News On the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.

Youth Development - The way forward - By: DR.  

Latest News:

17-Mar-2006 - FIFA said on Friday that no action would be taken against vice-president Jack Warner over a World Cup ticketing controversy. ... More.

16-Mar-2006 - The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), in association with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) will be holding a National Heritage Exhibit in May, highlighting this country’s history of World Cup Qualification attempts. ... More.

22-Feb-2006 - Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Special Advisor Jack Warner made a prediction that the  "Soca Warriors" will pull off a surprise victory over England in their Group B World Cup encounter in Germany on June 15, a match he has labeled as this country's "World Cup final". ... More.

22-Feb-2006 - Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley is calling on FIFA to investigate the role of Jack Warner, one of its vice-presidents, in the more than doubling of the cost of four stadia that were built when Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Under-17 World Cup four years ago. ... More.

16-Feb-2006 - FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) special adviser Jack Warner could be fighting for his football career after being found guilty of breaching FIFA's Code of Ethics. ... More.

06-Feb-2006 - Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Limited has contributed $91,014 to the Trinidad and Tobago national football team to assist with preparations for the World Cup Finals in Germany. ... More.

31-Jan-2006 - From as early as Monday, members of the public can start collecting their official "Soca Warriors" memorabilia ahead of the national team's debut at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany in June. ... More.

19-Jan-2006 - A minor adjustment on the website of Simpaul's Travel has raised eyebrows internationally as FIFA acknowledged the issue regarding Trinidad and Tobago's distribution of 2006 World Cup tickets earlier this week. ... More.

18-Jan-2006 - Characteristically busy in the weeks following his appointment as T&T Football Federation’s Consultant for International Affairs, Mike Berry got around to speaking to the ARENA about his new responsibility to T&T football. ... More.

07-Jan-2005 - Charter flights by the majority state-owned airline BWIA are to be provided for T&T ticket holders seeking to travel to Germany, to see the national football team play for the first time ever in the World Cup finals. ... More.

06-Jan-2006 - Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister said Thursday his government will intervene in the sale of World Cup tickets amid allegations of cronyism and price gouging against a leading soccer official. .. More.

04-Jan-2006 - FIFA vice-president Jack Warner had an unusual response to a series done by myself in the Daily Express which looked critically at the ethics of Warner's joint role as football administrator for FIFA and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) and businessman that appeared to have overlapped in the case of Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup match tickets. ... More.

04-Jan-2006 - The following is the full address as presented by Jack Warner in response to allegations made against him and his family during a three-part series in the Trinidad Express on december 25, 26 and 7, 2005. The Media Conference was held on Tuesday January 3, 2006 at the Crowne Plaza, Port of Spain. ... More.

04-Jan-2006 - Austin Jack Warner, Fifa vice-president and T&T Football Federation’s special advisor, says TT$50 million is needed to get the Soca Warriors fully prepared for the World Cup finals in Germany from June 9 to July 9. The Soca Warriors will come up against Group B top seed England, Sweden and Paraguay in first round matches. ... More.

26-Dec-2005 - Lasana Liburd probes FIFA VP Jack Warner's relationship with the T&TFF in a three-part series. Trinidad and Tobago football fans desperate to see the national team's historic debut appearance at the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany must wait a bit longer to discover why it is so expensive to do so and if they are being exploited by a suspect alliance. ... More.

24-Dec-2005 - The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and the Local Organising Committee 2006 has formed a partnership with Graphix Advantage Limited, a Chaguanas-based company to produce and sell “Soca Warriors” paraphernalia from January 2006. ... More.

20-Dec-2005 - Brazilian FIFA World “Player of the Year” Ronaldinho met up with FIFA Vice President Jack Warner in Zurich this week and in a brief appearance with top FIFA officials, he was able to extend words of congratulations to this country on hearing of its qualification for Germany 2006 as the smallest nation to ever reach the world stage. ... More.

20-Dec-2005 - The TTFF Technical Department has announced plans to have a training camp for U21 players (born on or after January 1, 1985) from December 27-29. According to TTFF Technical Director, Lincoln Phillips, “we have a number of good players attending colleges in the US who return home for the holiday break. ... More.

09-Dec-2005 - The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation received an early Christmas present, a most lucrative one of that, when it signed an official four-year sponsorship deal with Adidas at the Westin Leipzig Hotel in Germany on Thursday evening. ... More.

02-Dec-2005 - This country’s National head coach Leo Beenhakker has proposed to have the National Team based in Austria during the month of May in the build up for the start of the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany from June 9. ... More.

28-Nov-2005 - Sports Minister Roger Boynes says the Government will pay the salary of T&T Warriors football coach, Dutch national Leo Beenhakker, but will not provide an open budget for the team’s preparation for World Cup 2006. ...More.

23-Nov-2005 - Congratulations to Team TnT! Congratulations, Soca Warriors! Thanks to Jack Warner and Coach Beenhakker for their unswerving commitment to bringing us where we are! I join the people of Trinidad and Tobago in saluting your success thus far on the road to Germany! The nation is at your feet, on the road to Germany. ... More.

18-Nov-2005 - Carib Brewery have come big in rewarding the National Football Team and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation for qualifying for Germany 2006 by pouring TT$10,000,000 onto the new World Cup finalists. ... More.

10-Nov-2005 - Trinidad and Tobago footballers will don their customary red outfit for Saturday’s first leg FIFA World Cup play-off against Bahrain at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. ... More.

09-Nov-2005 - The Trinidad and Tobago "Warriors" will now have little else to worry about other than facing Bahrain in their upcoming home and away World Cup play-offs. ... More.

04-Nov-2005 - TTFF Special Advisor Jack Warner has expressed disappointment over Government’s Decision to grant $6 million to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation for campaign to get to the next World Cup in Germany. ... More.

29-Oct-2005 - The National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) have donated five million dollars over a five-year period to football in Trinidad and Tobago. Yesterday, in the Maracas room of the Court Marriott Hotel, NLCB's Louis Lee Sing handed over a $1m cheque to Jack Austin Warner, special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF). ... More.

22-Oct-2005 - The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has agreed to meet the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation’s request for $13.5 million to fund this country’s qualifying drive for next year’s World Cup Finals in Germany. ... More.

19-Oct-2005 - The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) made a profit of $232,906 from the final home CONCACAF World Cup qualifier against Mexico last Wednesday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. ... More.

03-Oct-2005 - Trinidad and Tobago’s FIFA Vice President Jack Warner was awarded one of Peru’s Highest Honour, the “Inca de Oro” at a Gala Closing Dinner for his efforts in the 2005 FIFA Under 17 World Championship held in that country. ... More.

Lincoln Phillips out-lines future development.

01-Jun-2005 - Present TTFF Technical Director Mr. Lincoln Phillips will be starting regular goalkeeping sessions on Wednesdays at Manny Ramjohn Stadium for the Pro and Super League goalkeepers. The sessions will run for 12 weeks.

The main topics will be as follows;

Various ways of dealing with break aways (when an attacker is one v one with the goalkeeper); crossballs and utilizing defenders to play their role in crossball situations; improving diving and catching skills; distribution and dealing with pass back situations. The objective is to introduce the proper methods of training the modern goalkeeper.

The Technical Department, with funding from the Government, will begin its first developmental program shortly with clinics for talented 8, 9 and 10 year olds (boys/girls) around the country. 
We will also begin screeinig the best 600 U-13 boys and girls. We will keep this age group program (once the funding does not dry up) going hopefully for the next 10 years.
The U-15 Boys are now finishing up their national screening to select a final team for the newly sponsored U-15 CFU tournament in August, 2005 featuring Costa Rica, USA, Mexico and Canada. The thought process here is if we are going to get beaten by the top youth teams in the CONCACAF, let it happen now when it does not matter so that we have at least two years to make the necessary adjustments. This U-15 team is in preparation for the next U-17 World Cup in 2008.
Again, once the Goverment funding is available, we will have the recent U-17 team (now U-18) in preparation for the next U-23 World Cup. This team will participate in the U-21 CAC Games in 2006; the Pan Am Games in 2007; and, the U-23 World Cup in 2008.
We plan to keep all the teams together in training throughout the year. The plans are for the teams to visit the U.S. to play in a Florida tournament in December; the Dallas Cup in April; and, a local international tournament at home in Summer (still in the planning stages). A trip to Europe (Holland) will also be in the mix. I want to make sure that our teams are well prepared from now on. I am getting some wonderful assistance from Anton Corneal, the Youth Development officer. He is in charge of youth programs as well as supervising all U-13 and U-15 zonal and national teams. Hopefully my support staff will increase soon to deal with the work we plan for the coming year.
And finally, we have just completed the certification of 106 "D" License coaches. Many of these coaches have already attended top FA and Brazilian courses over the years and confessed that the material covered in our "D" License courses was very beneficial to them. Trinidad & Tobago is changing, they are developing a thirst for knowledge. By the end of the year we hope to certify another 100 "D's"; 60 "C's"; and a few seminars on Sports Psychology, Management and Football Fitness. This is how we are going about spending the Governments money.

$.4 million loss by TTFF after World Cup qualifiers.

By: Kwame Williams.
10-May-2005 - After the two 2006 World Cup qualifying matches played in Trinidad this year, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation’s unaudited statements of income and expenditure show that the Federation suffered a huge financial loss.
The deficit, estimated at $436,452, came after the second home match, in which T&T drew goalless with Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on March 30.
The TTFF spent $1,408,395, with the lion’s share of that money going towards match fees for the local players ($220,465), advertising ($131,992) and travel ($493,461).
Mediocre ticket sales, which generated $503,652 and $146,080 in sponsorship rounded off the revenue to a disappointing $649,732. This resulted in a deficit of $758,663 for that match alone.
The TTFF fared a lot better with the first match, played against the USA at the Queen’s Park Oval on Ash Wednesday (February 9), taking in a whopping $1,454,609.
Ticket sales for that match hauled in $1,384,609 of the total income, while $70,000 for media rights made up the balance.
Total expenditure amounted to $1,132,398, which was considerably less than that for the Costa Rica match, despite of the fact that the TTFF expended more money for entertainment on Ash Wednesday ($26,087) than on March 30 ($19,500).
Travel ($272,825) and advertising ($165,023) also formed a big portion of the expenses for the USA match and were surpassed only by the $312,925 in accommodation expenses.
Match fees for the USA match amounted to $148,259—$72,206 less than that for the qualifier against Costa Rica—with $64,259 being paid to the foreign-based T&T players and $84,000 going to the home-based.
The TTFF was given a much-needed boost last week when the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs granted the Federation $1,684,921. This is to be put towards continuation of the national team’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Government contributes TT1.6 million to ‘Warriors’

By: Shaun Fuentes.
06-May-2005 - Honourable Roger Boynes, on behalf of the Ministry of Sport, presented a cheque worth $1, 684, 921.00 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation at a media briefing held at the TTFF’s headquarters on Dundonald Street, Port of Spain on Friday.
This contribution, according to TTFF President Oliver Camps who accepted the presentation from Boynes, will go towards the Warriors’ “Journey to Germany” campaign as well as other needs of the Federation regarding the development of the sport.
A delighted Camps thanked the Ministry for its eventual delivery.
“I must say that are greatly appreciative of this provision made to us by the Ministry of Sport following several discussions with Government Minister of Sport Roger Boynes over the months. It will no doubt be well utilized in our efforts to get to the next World Cup and I can assure you that with all the assistance being provided otherwise especially from Mr Jack Warner and our other sponsors (TSTT, KFC, Busta), this latest sum will be a good addition to the package,”Camps said.
Boynes meanwhile said his Government felt the time was appropriate to assist the TTFF with the “Warriors” locked in final round battle for 2006 World qualification. Under new head coach Leo Beenhakker, T&T is preparing for the June 4 qualifier against Panama at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
When asked to respond to having finally delivered after countless promises, Boynes ssid: “We always put it in place but how we approach football and sports in Trinidad and Tobago is to do it in a very professional manner. We have the requests there, we assess all that is asked of us because we have to ensure that Government’s money is spent properly. We have asked for a whole plan of the TTFF and we have got one with the breakdown of the expenses and as a result of that we have seen that Government’s money will be well spent.”
“We feel now more than ever that this type of funding is needed and we are asking Corporate Trinidad and Tobago to come on board as well. There is accountability and we are satisfied with what we see. We will be monitoring the spending of this money and we are asking the rest of corporate T&T to come on board and help football because it’s no a cheap thing. We have four beautiful stadiums and another one in the Hasely Crawford Stadium and we need to push football. Let us make sure together and use the necessary resources to have football being played in our country and produce a team that will be second to none in the world.”
He added that the Ministry of Sports have finalized the funding for total development of football with the TTFF and a sum of TT$18 million has been requested from the Ministry of Finance and he expects that release to be made soon.
Meanwhile, Special Advisor Jack Warner met with TSTT officials to launch a Text Message initiative to raise funds for the “Warriors.”  Ian Thrush, Vice President of Marketing for TSTT revealed that the TSTT is attempting to raise over TT$1 million per match over the next seven qualifying matches in hope of totaling TT$9 million which will go towards the team’s “Journey to Germany” campaign. Fans are being encouraged to text the message “Go Team” to the number 4625 with each message costing TT$1. Once each fan sends the message twice per game, it will raise $1 million and nine million over the seven games, according to Thrush.  Warner praised the initiative, adding that the campaign would cost close to TT$21 million.

Birmingham Academy Director here for training stint.

Issued By: Shaun Fuentes.
29-Apr-2005 - Stuart John Hall, director of the Birmingham City Academy is currently in Trinidad for a two-week period to work with local Secondary School League coaches and at the same time scout for local talent.
This is the second year of Hall’s involvement in the Stern John Skills Award Programme which started two years ago with the aim to assist in youth development and the upgrading of local coaches. According to Hall, despite John no longer being attached to the Premier League club, it was still felt that Birmingham could continue to make a contribution to the game in Trinidad and Tobago and at the same time look for the benefits of spotting local talent which they could then turn into  seasoned Birmingham City professionals.
“Last year I came because of my relationship with Stern John and the fact that he played for Birmingham for a couple seasons and I got to know him very well.  He invited me to work in the programme and look at the talent over here. It was a two sided initiative. I would coach the coaches to work on the programme and in return I get to see the talented players who could then get  a chance to go to my club,” Hall explained to TTFF Media.
Skills Award coaches Muhammad Isa and Dion La Foucade have been on training stints at Birmingham through the ongoing relationship.
“It was really a wonderful learning experience and what you realize is that the organization and the systems they have in place is the main difference between them and us. I had a chance to have a look at the entire facilitie which is top class and to work with their teams and coaches. This sort of experience is definitely a plus for us because someone like myself can now come back home and pass it on,” Isa said.
Hall intends to make use of his time in Trinidad.
“This year the invitation has been extended to the Secondary School coaches with the same idea behind it. I’m also coaching players at the same time. If anybody says to me I know where there is a good player, I tell them bring him to the clinic and let’s see what he has to offer,” he said.
Dwight Yorke was the latest T&T player at Birmingham up to last week and while John is now at Coventry City, Hall added that the influence John has had at Birmingham is one of the reasons they have decided to maintain ties.
“Stern’s heart will always be with Birmingham. That’s where he had the best years of his career in England and he helped us gain promotion to the Premiership which is something we will never forget. He’s totally committed to this project and he’s really happy for Birmingham to still be involved even though he’s not there and we are extremely happy to still have ties with him and Trinidad and Tobago,” Hall ended.

National football manager promises to do his best.

By: Angela Pidduck - T&T Newsday.
Bruce banking on TT team.
25-Apr-2005 - Bruce Aanensen is the new manager of the “Warriors,” Trinidad and Tobago’s National Football Team which is currently attempting to qualify for the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany. A retired director of the Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, the 57-year-old vice president of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, played football and cricket at St Mary’s College, football for Casuals Club, Lantern Giants in the Southern Football Association, Endeavour Club in Montserrat, and the Montserrat National Football Team vs Antigua, Dominica and two English ships.  After being sidelined through injury, the keen sportsman turned his hand to assisting with the 1988 CONCACAF Under 16 tournament in Trinidad, and between 1990 and 1992 with management of the Shell Caribbean Cup.
Bruce was one of many in a list of sweeping management changes announced earlier this month by Jack Warner, Special Adviser to the Football Federation, which saw Dutchman, Leo Beenhakker, replacing Tobagonian Bertille St Clair as head coach of the national team. This appointment has come at a good time for Bruce who retired from RBTT on January 31, 2005, as Director Group Human Resources, after eight years in the position. Bruce had also been involved in the bank’s business side as chairman RBTT Caribbean Limited, RBTT Grenada Limited and RBTT Services Limited; and director of RBTT Bank Limited. Managing the “Warriors,” says Bruce, “was an opportunity to come and help to do something for the national team.” He speaks only positively of Jack Warner: “I have been a strong supporter of his over the years, I have always respected his work ethic and also his forthright manner in speaking his mind.
And, I think Jack has single-handedly done more for football in Trinidad and the wider Caribbean than anyone else, by bringing major tournaments to the English speaking Caribbean. He is personally the driving force in bringing improved football to the smaller islands because more tournaments are being played in the Caribbean where they can participate and are not faced with a lack of money to go to Central America tournaments.  Also, Jack has gotten FIFA to assist financially in the islands.” Bruce saw this as an opportunity to regain a stronger faith in the national team which to date has not been successful on its “Road to Germany.” “If I can make a contribution to the overall effort then I am happy to do so,” says the father of three adult children and five grandchildren.
He admits to not being too familiar with most of the younger national footballers. “I knew some of the older ones as I was vice chairman of the Organising Committee on the 1989 “Road to Italy” campaign, but did meet them at the recent session with the new coach and I am going to try my best to get them to qualify. “Among the problems is the fact that football in Trinidad now does not have the same spectator attraction of years ago hence the reason why people here don’t know the players on the national team. That was also so to some extent at the beginning of the Road to Italy but once you are winning support swells and escalates.” Bruce is appealing to the media which appears to have lost interest in the national team, to come back on board.  “Every single one of them was represented at Beenhakker’s introduction.”
The next qualifying game is against Panama on June 4 in Trinidad, followed by the June 8 game in Mexico. “Every game from here on is a virtual final so we have to find a way to get the population’s support behind the team,” says the new manager. “A win against Panama is absolutely essential at this time to resurrect our hopes of qualification. Right now the new coach is on a visit to England and Scotland assessing the fitness levels of our overseas players.  He returns end of April and our first camp starts May 2 at the Centre of Excellence, and camps will continue Monday to Wednesday each week in May.” Bruce and the two assistant managers George Joseph and Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips, are already putting together plans as to what needs to be done from now to the end of the game vs Mexico.
“The players have been faced with a lot of recent changes. We need to provide them with an environment which allows them to properly focus on their football, such as accommodation during camps, training and physio equipment, out of pocket allowances so they don’t have to worry about how they are coming to practise and such. They have to have a sense of comfort and be able to relate to the management team so that we also have to very quickly find ways to reach out to them and understand what are some of the problems they may be experiencing in their personal lives that may be affecting their ability to focus on the game.”
Bruce came out of football in 1992, became vice president of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club and got very involved with cricket.  At the end of 1995, he gave up as VP to chair the club’s Centenary Committee which brought Sri Lanka, who had just won the World Cup, to play two games at the Oval against a past and present WI team. By August 1996 he was back as vice president to new president Willie Rodriguez, and remains VP to this time. In 1998 he managed the club’s cricket team on a one month tour of Australia.

Liverpool legend John Barnes in Trinidad Tuesday.

T&T Express Reports.
24-Apr-2005 - Liverpool legend and former England international John Barnes will be in Trinidad on Tuesday to launch the newest football television programme, Total Football.
Total Football, a production of Caribbean Newsroom, is the first local television production dedicated completely to covering all things football. The programme makes its premiere on CCN TV6 in early June, in time for Trinidad and Tobago's next round of World Cup qualifying matches against Panama and Mexico.
Barnes has accepted an invitation from Caribbean Newsroom to be the feature speaker at the programme's marketing launch, to be hosted at Trotter's Restaurant on Maraval Road, from 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He is being brought to Trinidad courtesy BWIA.
Barnes, one of the biggest names in English football, has strong Caribbean roots, being born in Jamaica in 1963 to a Trinidadian father and Jamaican mother.
Singer Elton John, one-time chairman of English club Watford FC, once described Barnes as his favourite footballer of all time.
Barnes enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame after joining Watford in 1981. He moved to English giants Liverpool at the age of 23 for a then unheard-of sum of £900,000, and justified the high price tage with his wing play and goal scoring that soon brought him an FA Cup and two League Championship medals at the famed English club.
He later also played for Newcastle United and Charlton.
He was twice voted Player of the Year (1988 and 1990) and also represented his adopted country, England, on 79 occasions, scoring 11 goals in the process.
After his retirement in 1999, Barnes worked as an analyst on British television network, ITV, for several years, and currently hosts a weekly football programme, John Barnes Football Night, on ITV's Channel 5.
Host of Total Football and Barnes' cousin, Keith Look Loy, said the choice of Barnes as feature speaker at the programme's launch was easy and almost inevitable.
"He is a famous ex-professional and international player. He is involved with the football media and hosts his own programme. And, of course, he's my cousin and that's another good reason to invite him," said the former national coach.
Total Football's launch will be attended by members of the corporate and diplomatic communities, football officials, current and ex-national players and coaches, and a broad cross-section of the print and electronic media.

More Warriors, less Soca...

By: Ian Prescott.
18-Mar-2005 - Trinidad and Tobago's senior national football team will now be known as the Warriors, having dropped the Soca tag.
Yesterday, FIFA vice-president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) adviser Jack Austin Warner announced a name change in keeping with the effort to get T&T to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Warner said "Soca Warriors" implied gaiety, a stark contrast to Trinidad and Tobago's effort at World Cup qualification, which he said was serious business.
Warner was speaking at a news conference at which Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) handed out 30 cell phones to the team and announced the setting up of an interactive website dedicated to the team's progress to Germany.
The telephone company has also commissioned entertainer Bunji Garlin to sing the theme song for the Warriors' qualification campaign.
At a time when it was no secret that sponsorship funds were short, Warner applauded the efforts of TSTT, which has injected $3 million into the effort.
Apart from his own "contribution" of $7 million, Warner said TSTT is the team's major sponsor, while both Busta and Kentucky Fried Chicken have injected $1 million apiece.
But Warner said the Warriors still need support. He reported that it was costing $1 million to fund the team's next trip in which they leave on Sunday for Miami, USA, where they will train for four days, before tackling Honduras in a warm-up game on Tuesday.
The Warriors will then meet Guatemala in their next World Cup qualification match on Sunday March 26, before hosting Costa Rica at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on March 30 in another World Cup qualifier.
Airfare for the trip will amount to approximately $450,000.
At the press conference, Ian Joseph, TSTT's vice-president of mobile services, announced the staging of a promotion aimed at raising $500,000 for the Warriors during the qualifying campaign.
"TSTT will also start a text message campaign from tomorrow that will continue for each of the qualifying matches. This promotion will invite the public to send a text message of their predictions for the outcome of the matches, with the winners earning valuable hampers and gifts," said Joseph.
"It is another first of its kind for Trinidad and Tobago and in the case of our 'Text The Score' promotion, part of the proceeds of the cost of each text message will raise funds to further aid our Warriors in their preparation on this journey to Germany," he added.

Chesapeake Athletic Dragons teams up with the TTFF.

www.cadragons.com
25-Feb-2005 - Chesapeake Athletic will serve as an affiliate of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation National Team Programs. Under the arrangement, youth players from Trinidad and Tobago will play with Chesapeake's Super Y League teams and in top-level tournaments and tours.
According to Chesapeake Founder and current TTFF Technical Director, Lincoln Phillips, " As part of the overall player development program I have created with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, this venture will give promising players from Trinidad and Tobago exposure to college coaches as well as get a jump on the rigors of college academics since they will also participate in summer college courses."
Phillips also added that two players from the U-20 National Team will join Chesapeake's U-19 team for the 2005 Dallas Cup and players from the U-17 pool will serve as the main group that will participate with Chesapeake during the summer in the Super Y League.

TTFF to kick start development program.

Issued By: Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Press Officer.
14-Feb-2005 - Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, Lincoln Phillips is preparing to kick start a new coaching development program aimed at improving the readiness of local coaches and footballers for future tournaments.
While the main focus currently is on the Senior National Team’s attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the TTFF is embarking on the development scheme which will include training of both coaches and players starting from later this month.
Phillips explained that the course for coaches was originally scheduled to being in November, but by request of the Government, it was pushed back because of the interest expressed by the Ministry of Sport in assisting. Further details on this will be discussed over the coming week.
Phillips, along with Alvin Corneal and Keith Look Loy, both FIFA instructors, will first conduct a “D” License course for physiotherapists. During the period, Phillips will also prepare with Look Loy and Corneal, for an instructors coaching course scheduled for March. Phillips explained that such a course was different to a regular coaching course as it is aimed at improving the standards of some of the top local coaches for them to be able to work with lesser qualified and lesser experienced coaches from across the country.
Some 36 coaches have been listed to take part in the course in March and after that, D license coaching courses will be held in the various zones throughout T&T. A “D” License course is expected to take 36 hours over two weekends.
“We want to invest in the development of our coaches over a three-year period. I don’t want to be the only certified individual to be able to conduct courses. In five years we want to be able to have everyone who is playing football to have undergone certified experienced adult coaching,” Phillips told TTFF Media on Sunday.
He also complimented the Federation, also through the support of special adviser Jack Warner, for taking up the emphasis for development.
“We must put the Federation in high regard now because as the governing body for local football, they understand that we must try our very best to qualify for the World Cup but they also realize that there must be proper preparation. There is a coach, Bertille St Clair, focusing on the World Cup and then there is my job of concentrating on development,” Phillips stated.
“While it is extremely important to place heavy emphasis on the World Cup journey, it is also important to prepare for the long term. We have to be careful of what others think when we lose matches because there will be times when our results may not be on the winning note. As such we must let it be known that all is not lost when we lose matches,” he added.

Ministry donates $18m to football.

By: Gregory Trujillo.
22-Jan-2005 - After eight months as Technical Director of football in T&T, Lincoln Phillips has convinced the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to be a major player in the development of the game in the country.
Yesterday, Minister Roger Boynes announced that his ministry will be assisting with $18 million of the budgeted $30 million for the development of the sport over the next year.
“The Technical Director, working with our staff, developed a comprehensive document, a bible as it were, for the development of football from the communities to the national teams with regards to seniors, Under-23, Under-20, Under-17 and Under-15,” Boynes said at a press conference at the ministry’s new offices at 14 Abercromby Street in Port-of-Spain.
“I think it is a major landmark in the country as it relates to football,’ said Minister Boynes.
“Government is prepared to take football to the next level and this comprehensive plan is the way forward for the sport in T&T,” he added.
“This exercise shows that it will cost approximately $30M to develop these teams comprehensively.
“This includes, among other things, coaches education, player development, staffing and travel of the teams.”
The money set aside for the development of football is part of $85M approved by Cabinet for the new Sports Company programme.
Apart from football, among the other sports to benefit will be cricket, track and field, basketball and netball.
The governing T&T Football Federation will have to find the remaining $12M to fund the programme.
“As relates to this development plan, the TTFF has the final green-light,” Boynes pointed out.
Phillips indicated that the end result of the development plan is to have all nationals teams qualify for the World Cup and other intertnational tournaments by the year 2014.
“I know we have the talent to make it possible,” he stated.
“This is great news from the ministry. It brings music to my ears.
“We need to have money for these projects.”
Minister Boynes also said that his ministry will be doing its part in ensuring that the present team get to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He urged the players to give of their best “and we are going to provide the resources.”

Symposium for more, better football.

Issued By: Shaun Fuentes, CFU/TTFF Press Officer.

“Change for Progress – Structure of the Leagues”
21-Jan-2005 - That is the theme for a football symposium set up and to be chaired by CONCACAF President Jack Warner with the aim of restructuring local football for the better at the Ken Galt Hall, Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Macoya from 9:30am to 5pm this Saturday January 21.
All the major stakeholders in the local football arena including representatives from the T&T Pro League, National Super League, Regional Associations and Community Leagues as well as those from the general public have been invited to attend the event.
Speaking from his CONCACAF Office at Edward Street, Port of Spain on Friday, Warner, special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, explained the objective for the Symposium.
“An overview of our football reveals there is an absence of unified purpose in the general administration of the sport at all levels as evidenced by the operations of our various Leagues and Associations that have been trying with limited success to cater for the needs of all who play football,” Warner stated.
“The lack of a clear objective is reflected on the field of play at every single level of the game in this country. It is obvious that if we are to experience any kind of improvement in the local game, some clear objectives must me articulated. We are suggesting that the objectives of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation be two fold with aim to produce national teams that will do credit to Trinidad and Tobago and secondly to provide recreation and enjoyment for all through football.”
Warner also hinted that attempts to extend the period of the Secondary Schools League season as well as start playing more games under lights during the week to facilitate players who may be in school or living lengthy distances from match venues.
“This has also come about because of the recent problems we had in getting our players to get time off from the schools in order to represent the country in international youth matches. When you look at the development of the game globally, particularly in some of our countries CONCACAF who we faced in the recent qualifying series you will realize that if we not pick up our selves we will be left behind in the world of football,” Warner added.
Ensuring that all coaches dealing with teams from the primary to senior level are certified will also among the topics for discussion.
Some names listed to attend include CONCACAF technical director Keith Look Loy, T&T head coach Bertille St Clair, TTFF technical director Lincoln Phillips, TTFF President Oliver Camps and Vice Presidents Rudolph Thomas and Raymond Tim Kee, Minister in the Ministry of Culture Eddie Hart, Dr Alvin Henderson, SSFL President Ewing Davis, Alvin Corneal, FIFA medical panel member Dr Terrence Babwah, Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene, Sedley Joseph, Muhammad Isa, Eddie Hart, North East Stars owner Darryl Mahabir and sports personality Anil “Spalksman” Roberts.

TTFF gets a $3 million call from TSTT.

Issued By: Shaun Fuentes.
10-Dec-2004 - Trinidad and Tobago’s “Journey to Germany” received a major sponsorship boost as the Trinidad and Tobago Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago dialed in a $3.5 million deal over two years at a launch at the Queen’s Park Oval on Friday.
The partnership was a much welcomed one by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation who had previously had only one major sponsor in KFC, to talk about since the start of the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Up to this, TTFF special adviser Jack Warner had been the main financier behind the team and though he still continues to play a pivotal role, expressed gratitude towards TSTT for coming on board.
Bernard Mitchell, TSTT’s Chief Operation Officer gave an outline of the sponsorship package.
“TSTT’s agreement with the TTFF is for a two-year period, with an option to extend. During this period, TSTT will be the Official Telecommunications provider for the Trinidad and Tobago National Football Team for the duration of the World Cup qualifying campaign, and will also be the official Mobile Services Provider for the National team,” Mitchell stated.
“Whenever the team plays outside of Trinidad and Tobago, TSTT will provide roaming service and sponsorship of all calls for team management and technical staff.
“Our sponsorship also covers such items as salaries, team incentives, Man of the Match prizes, bonuses, the provision of mobile phones for team members and technical staff and DSL internet access to the Administrative Office,” Mitchell concluded.
Warner added that the $3 million would be given in cash and would undoubtedly go a long way in ensuring a form of comfort for the “Soca Warriors” as they embark on the rest of the journey.
He revealed that European team Azerbaijan will face in two warm-ups on January 22 and 24 in T&T. Azerbaijan is currently in a six-team group with the likes of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and Poland.
It was also revealed that the Ash Wednesday final round opening match against the United States will be played at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain from 3:30 pm. All tickets will be priced at TT$200 and 12,000 tickets will be sold, all seating to go according with FIFA ruling for accommodation at World Cup qualifying matches.
“TSTT sees the sponsorship of the Soca Warriors as a wonderful opportunity to not only give our footballers the resources they need to make the long journey to Germany but also for the Nation to join us in support of our team. With our support and that of the Trinidad and Tobago public, their potential will be unleashed to an unsuspecting world and all things being equal, will take us all the way to the football stadia of Germany,” Mitchell added.

Football heads meet on same grounds.

Issued By: Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Press Officer.
20-Nov-2004 - The meeting of this country’s football technical heads went for close to three hours at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence on Saturday and was described as a success by Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation technical director Lincoln Phillips.
Set up by TTFF special adviser Jack Warner was a way of establishing a collective effort to come up with “the way forward” for the T&T senior team ahead of the final 2006 World Cup qualifying round, the meeting was well attended with some 25 persons showing up including former national coaches and players Sedley Joseph, Alvin Corneal, Muhammad Isa, Anton Corneal, Nigel Grosvenor, Ron La Forest, Dennis Phillip, Rudolph Thomas (chairman of TTFF technical committee), Clayton Morris, Jamal Shabazz and others.
Warner along with TTFF President Oliver Camps and General Secretary Richard Groden were also present while local sports personality Anil “Spalksman” Roberts also showed up to voice his opinions and support for the “Soca Warriors’.
Several issues were discussed, chief among them being steps which should be taken to ensure that the team is adequately prepared in the coming two months for the final round of six which kicks off on Ash Wednesday. It was agreed that national coach Bertille St Clair will now meet with members of the technical committee to discuss measures to ensure the team takes top shape for their matches against Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States.
As Warner put it, “No stone shall be left unturned” and he stressed to all the other officials that because it was probably the best chance to see a national team qualify for a World Cup in their working lifetime, he intends to go the full distance to see the team through to Germany.
“The meeting was an absolute gem,” Warner said. “The discussions were of a very high nature and coming out of this is the collective wisdom that the technical structure of the team has to be reviewed immediately and more critical roles must be given to the technical director Lincoln Phillips and Alvin Corneal.”
Warner added that later today, specific roles and functions for the two men would be finalized. A proper system of organization for the period leading up to February and the rest of the campaign will also be implemented, according to Warner.
“One thing that was common this morning is that everyone expressed the view that it is quite possible for us to qualify and that if we put our heads together we will do so,” Warner said.
Phillips added “We must know what we are preparing for in the next stage. We have Panama and Guatemala who I think are two teams that we can beat. We have to look at these two teams and schedule practice sessions and matches against countries that play similar to them. We need 12 points to qualify and if we beat these two teams, that’s 12 points and then we look at the likes of Mexico who is not as good as people think they are, if we prepare well for them, we can beat or at least take a point from them. We must decide how we will approach matches against the USA and Costa Rica.
Corneal said it was important that the current T&T team is properly analyzed in order to see what improvements must be made.
“We have got to understand realistically that the ages of players are changing and their movements are getting sometimes slower and their concentration methods are reducing tremendously. As Lincoln rightly pointed out, we also need to assess our opponents Fortunately for some of us, we’ve gotten to know them well over the years and if we are to beat them, we must understand them better, their weaknesses and strengths and their transitions that they are going through.
“Across the world every national coach has someone who he speaks with and who he sends to do analysis and someone who takes an overview. This situation is no different. It’s just that it will be highlighted because we have not become accustomed to those sort of method. We have become accustomed to a national coach doing his own thing and not really looking at other people who can help. We have to progress and if we are to do this, we’ve got to put more minds to it,” Corneal explained.

KFC delivers one million package to T&T football.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
20-Aug-2004 - The Trinidad and Tobago national senior team received a finger licking financial boost towards its 2006 "Journey to Germany" World Cup campaign when KFC agreed to a $1,000,000 18-month sponsorship deal.
This was revealed at a media briefing at the Prestige Holdings corporate box at the Queen' s Park Oval on Friday as KFC who had also thrown their support in during the 2002 World Cup campaign, presented the cheque to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
The deal is among one of the first major ones to come through since the start of the 2006 campaign and TTFF special adviser Jack Warner was quick to point this out as he applauded KFC for their support.
As KFC brand manager Wendy Alleyne extended congrats to swimmer George Bovell III on his bronze medal performance at the Athens Olympics, she added "And hard work is going to be the key if the Trinidad and Tobago football team is also to achieve its dream of playing in the World Cup Finals in 2006."
Alleyne appealed for others to come on board as Prestige Holdings Chief Executive Officer Dane Darbasie, T&T Football Federation technical director Lincoln Phillips, coach Bertille St Clair and Warner listened in the audience.
"His effort cannot be left solely to the Local Organising Committee and to persons like Mr Warner and those responsible for the administration of football in Trinidad and Tobago," Alleyne said. " Whether we like it or not, we must realize that without that requisite funding, our efforts will fall flat, regardless of how talented our players might be. And that is one of the reasons we are here today because we, at KFC, realize that we have a role to play and we do not intend to fall short in this regard." Alleyne also revealed that the $1,000,000 will be disbursed as part cash and part advertising as directed by the LOC. Warner expressed delight on having KFC throwing their support towards the campaign, and so too did St Clair.
"It's also a relief to have KFC coming and giving their support because it shows that it' s not all doom and gloom for us with regard to corporate Trinidad and Tobago supporting sport and more so football in this country, "Warner said.
He also called on Bovell to use his influence now to get the government and corporate T&T to do more for the development of swimming and other sports in T&T. "A crime free country is a country that pays attention to the sportsmen and women, one that pays attention to sports," said Warner.

Woodbrook Playboyz TTFF’s official band.

T&T Newsday Reports.
25-Jun-2004 - Angostura Woodbrook Playboyz Steel Orchestra is the official travelling band of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and the national team for their entire World Cup 2006 qualifying series and international friendlies. FIFA vice president Jack Austin Warner has taken this significant step to fuse the national instrument with our football. Warner who took the band to West Bromwich, England, earlier this month when Trinidad and Tobago outplayed Iraq 2-0 there, said he is making the band part of the touring party. And they will be off to Bangkok, Thailand for the international friendly there on July 10, then travel to South Korea on July 14. He said: “This is simply a way of promoting our culture, more so a national instrument throughout the world through our football. “We are in the midst of a World Cup qualifying campaign in which our national team will have all eyes on them and all ears too and therefore, I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our football and steelpan together.”
Warner pointed out: “I am also arranging for the band to accompany the team to some World Cup matches.” He said: “This is a rare mix of steelpan and football and ultimately when we reach Germany, steelpan shall be there also.” The CONCACAF president and TTFF special adviser commended Government Ministers Franklyn Khan, Joan Yuille-Willams and Eric Williams for coming to the game on Sunday and showing their support when Trinidad and Tobago shut out Dominican Republic 4-0 in their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying semi-final round. Warner said since the friendly international against Egypt in April, the team’s financial costs amounted to TT$2.2 million. “To date it has cost the TTFF $2.2 million to prepare the team and at this stage it’s a bit over our budget but hopefully, as the team continues to succeed things will take a turn for the better in financial terms,” he said.

T&TFF signs new US$million kit deal.

By Nigel Simon.
17-Jun-2004 - The local football Federation has sealed a four-year US$1 million deal with Finta, to supply this country’s national teams with sports apparel.
The arrangement between the local federation and Finta, a leading Brazilian sports company, will see the disbursement of merchandise valued at US$250,000 per year for the next four years, with the uniforms to be worn by all of T&T’s national teams.
The teams include the senior men, Olympic (Under-23), Under-20 and Under-17 boy’s, together with the senior women, the Under-19 women’s squad, and the national men’s futsal side, the inaugural Caribbean Football Union Futsal champion team.
The deal was announced by Brazilian Irisleuton Bertolini, owner and chief executive officer of Finta, at a media briefing held yesterday at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The senior men’s team has already worn the new uniform in a 2-0 win over the Dominican Republic in last Sunday’s first leg Concacaf World Cup qualifier.
The sporting apparel to be worn by the local players include uniforms for matches, training, casual wear, travelling, t-shirts, bibs, track suits and sweat suits, football boots, track shoes, shin pads, goalkeeping gloves and captains’ armbands.
Other equipment supplied to the T&TFF by Finta are travelling bags, footballs, cones, saucers, ice coolers and medicine kits.
Finta also sponsors the Haitian national team, as well as Brazilian clubs Paysandu, Santa Cruz, Nautico and Botofago — to name a few.
In his turn at the podium, FIFA vice-president and CONCACAF president, Austin Jack Warner lashed out at local corporate companies, who he described as being lethargic when it comes to financial support to sport.
Warner was also critical of former national player Dwight Yorke and stated: “One of the errors of using the Tobago-born striker against Northern Ireland was that it was being played at a venue built in his name and yet he continues to show total disregard and disrespect for his country.”
While Yorke, the local television stations and corporate T&T came in a for some knocks by Warner, national coach Bertille St Clair was given a vote of confidence by Warner.
“Those who are not on board now will want to join in later on, but they have a next thing coming.
“We will like to see companies like Finta in with us from the start and, to coach St Clair, I will say also that I’m here with you for the long haul.
“These are times when you know who your friends are,” added Warner.
“Finta did not wait until the day the team becomes successful, but they came on board when the team is perceived to be down” Warner said.
Others in attendance were Kenny De Silva, the Carnival Development Comission chairman and former middle distance track runner, who is owner of Kenny’s Sports, which will sell the kits; Oliver Camps, president of the local Football Federation, and vice-presidents, Raymond Tim Kee and Lennox Watson.

Anton Corneal aims to implement proper youth development structure.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
25-Feb-2004 - Newly appointed Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation director of youth development Anton Corneal has pinpointed areas which he says needs immediate focus notwithstanding the fact that the main focus over the next year and more will be on the country's qualifying bid for the Germany 2006 World Cup Finals.
Corneal, along with technical director Lincoln Phillips were formally introduced to local coaches on Sunday at a meeting at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence and both men spoke of measures being taken to ensure that specific emphasis is placed on the overall development of the game here away from the senior team's programme.
"When you think of my role around the technical committee, it's really one of setting up a structure for the game at the youth level. The problems we experienced at the top started maybe ten years ago and if we don't fix them, then they will continue to hamper our football. This is where the need comes in for us to place more emphasis on our nine, ten and up to 15 year olds who are playing the game in order to have a solid foundation to produce top teams at the Under 20, 23 and senior levels. Of course this will take time but any type of proper planning does take time,"Corneal told TTFF Media.
"We must have continuity from year to year because right now we are producing players ad-hoc. Some clubs do a good job and some coaches get a job done but they are not really doing it based on a structure but more from experience they have in the game. I am hoping this is where I can make a change," said Corneal who will also be serving as deputy technical director.
He added that among his first steps is to get local coaches on board a committee in order to have them all sharing the same vision.
"We need to have coaches aboard and letting them be part of this structure so they can have a better idea of what we are setting out to accomplish. From there we will be implementing systems involving youth teams and the development of the players in and out of competitions. This will all be done through a syllabus which in ways will be similar to a school syllabus and then we can measure the progress over a period of time.
Youth male and female clubs from various leagues starting from the Pro League right down to the amateur and community-based clubs as well as secondary to primary schools will be targeted by Corneal and his assistants.
Corneal, a former national player and youth team coach, has been working with the Piedmont Soccer Alliance club in North Carolina United States which is made up of 27-youth teams and continues to produce several players who make it into the United States Colleges Division One League through scholarships and have also had players move into the United States National youth programme.
"I am hoping that we can pretty do much the same here by getting our players to be able to compete at a high level internationally. This of course comes over a period of time, Some people are prepared to wait while others are not and I am hoping that we can go into a situation here where we can put that structure into place and see the fruits down the road," he added.

TTFF appoints Lincoln Phillips Technical Director.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
31-Jan-2004 - Highly regarded and experienced coach, former national goalkeeper Lincoln Phillips has been appointed Technical Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF).
Phillip's position was among several confirmed by the Executive Committee of the TTFF following a meeting at its Headquarters on Friday evening.
His appointment comes on the heels of the decision to make Bertille St Clair Head Coach of the National Senior Team for its 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign. Phillips' appointment will be on an itinerant basis for the next six months pending the completion of arrangements for his full relocation to Trinidad and Tobago at the end of June, 2004.
Among other appointments to take effect from February 1, 2004 along with Phillips' include that of Director of Development which was given to Anton Corneal and National Teams' Administrative Manager, given to George Joseph.
A Committee comprising Messrs Raymond Timkee (Sr. Vice President), Richard Groden, (General Secretary) and Jack Warner (Special Adviser) has been appointed to meet with Stuart Charles Fevrier on his return from Mexico to discuss his future Coaching relationship with the Football Federation.
The TTFF also advises that Publicis Caribbean Limited has also been appointed the advertising Agency for the Federation.

Other policy decisions taken include:

A. Messrs Oliver Camps, Richard Groden and Rudolph Thomas have been nominated to attend the FIFA Congress and Centennial Celebrations in Paris from May 20th - 23rd, 2004.

B. The Football Federation will be hosting the undermentioned international events in 2004.

i. Caribbean Qualifying Futsal Competition in April, 2004.
ii. Caribbean Qualifying Women U17 Competition in August, 2004.
iii. Caribbean Qualifying U17 and U20 Boys' Competitions in September and October 2004 respectively.

C. All National Selections in the future must be submitted to the General Secretariat no less than 21 days before the scheduled date of departure for an event nor less than 14 days for the hosting of an event locally.

D. No more complimentary tickets shall be issued in the future for football events of a commercial nature.

E. Authorisation has been given for Bertille St Clair, Head Coach of Team Trinidad & Tobago, to coopt such technical and other assistance that he deems necessary for the successful completion of his exercise.

F. Five new clubs have been selected to replace the five out going clubs from the Super League.

The Super League 2004 will now be comprised of the following clubs:

Bi Water Stokely Vale, WASA Clean & White, Police FC, Maraval Youth Academy, Crab Connection, Club Sando, Caroni FC together with Carib F.C., Joe Public FC, Superstar Rangers, Tobago Phoenix FC and Moruga F.C.

Six of the clubs in the Super League will automatically qualify to participate in the Federation's F.A. Competition.
A meeting has been scheduled with All Sport Promotion to discuss all the measures related to the conduct of the League for 2004.
The Executive Committee has declared that at the end of the 2004 Season and continuing three teams in the Super League shall be demoted to their respective Regional Associations and three teams shall be promoted to the Super League on
the basis of a home and away play off competition involving the Champion Team from each Regional Association.

A closer look at Lincoln Phillips.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
31-Jan-2004 - Lincoln Phillips has 35 years coaching experience and is at present a Staff Member of the FIFA Control Panel of Coaches and Instructors; a Staff Member of the US Soccer Federation (USSF) National Coaching schools and is the holder of a USSF "A" licence.
He is also the author of "Goal Keeping: The last Line of Defence, First Line of Attack".
Phillips is the holder of a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science Degree in Physical Education.
He has had experience as a goalkeeper coach United States Senior and Olympic Men's teams and also served as assistant coach to the US Under 14, Under 17 and Under 20 teams.
His playing days saw him between the uprights for clubs such as Baltimore Comets in the North American Soccer League, Baltimore Bays (American Soccer League), Washington Darts (North American Soccer League) and of course the T&T National Team.
Commenting briefly on his appointment as Technical Director, an enthusiastic Phillips said " I must state that a major dream of mine is for Trinidad and Tobago to get to the World Cup. But the fulfillment of this dream is not about Lincoln Phillips, neither is it about administrators, coaches and players. The achievement of this dream is about Trinidad and Tobago. This is about history, this is about legacy. With this I pledge my readiness and commitment for the fight of this cause. With assurances from the TTFF, this is an endeavor I have dreamt about and for which I feel much pride and excitement to be involved."

Bertile St Clair back at helm of TnT national senior team.

By: Shaun Fuentes.
16-Jan-2004 - On Friday January 16, 2004, The Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation officially launched "Journey to Germany 2006" Trinidad & Tobago's bid for the World Cup Finals.
Mr. Oliver Camps, President of the Football Federation expressed the organisation's eagerness in his statement: "This task is not an easy one, but we look at it with confidence, knowing that all involved are qualified and capable of representing our country at this high level. The Federation is proud to be a part of this grand venture and will do all it can to support all involved."
Appointed to chart the course to success is a Project Team, headed by Team Administrator Ms. Sandra Basheer.
The team will be responsible for the selection and development of the final World Cup Squad. Mr. Bertille St. Clair has been given the leadership role of Head Coach, assisted by Mr. Ron La Forest and Goal Keeping coach Mr. Michael Maurice, all well-known names in local football circles. Other members of the Project Team include Physiotherapist Mr. Zephyrinus Nicholas and Equipment Manager Mr. Ikin Williams.
"The journey ahead is no walk in the park. There are no short cuts to success. It is something we will have to continually work hard at. As head coach, I am committed to building this success brick by brick, and as part of this team, I am confident that we will be successful in creating that path to victory." said Mr. St. Clair.
The first order of business for the team would be the selection of a World Cup squad, which will include any footballer with a Trinidad & Tobago passport that meets the required physical and skill levels. The initial group of players will participate in a series of invitationals and friendlies with the intent of assessing progress and monitoring performance, the earliest of these games being Trinidad & Tobago vs. Bermuda on February 10th and 12th in Bermuda followed by a Trinidad & Tobago All Star team vs a Brazilian All Star team scheduled for February 18th at the National Stadium.
This is all part of a new strategy devised to bring together all of the nation's top resources to form a truly united National Football team, and bring a new perspective to the way we represent ourselves in the international football arena. This new philosophy has been well received and is being supported by major entities. Said Minister Roger Boynes, "It showcases a new philosophy, which treats international sporting events of this calibre with the seriousness and professionalism they deserve. This makes for a campaign we can be proud of as a people, and an excellent example from which all sport can learn."

Meet the other members of staff.

By: Shaun Fuentes. (16-Jan-2004).

The Navigators...
Journey to Germany 2006 Project Team Pt. 1

Project Team.
We have assembled a skilled Project Team to chart a course for success on this journey.
These professionals will come together to form a committed, capable team with invaluable knowledge in various aspects of the game:

Ms. Sandra Basheer - Team Administrator.
A trained and experienced professional in the area of management, planning and event coordination, Sandra Basheer has been involved in national football, lending her services as the Chief Executive Officer - Local Organizing Committee, FIFA Under 17 World Youth Championship. Her managerial experience and expertise will go a long way in keeping the project on the path to success.

Mr. Ron La Forest - Assistant Coach.
A well-respected coach, Mr. La Forest has made his contribution to football at many levels. He has represented the country as a player. He has coached both Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive and St. Anthony's College as well as the National Youth Team. His coaching expertise has been utilized in the professional league by teams such as CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and Joe Public. His involvement has given him a vast knowledge of the available local talent and has gained him the respect of these players. No doubt, his addition will be a plus to the team.

Mr. Micheal Maurice - Goalkeeping Coach.
Micheal Maurice has been a familiar name in the realm of national football. Known as the number one custodian for the "Strike Squad", which narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1990 World cup Finals in Italy, he brings with him a wealth of experience gathered from his professional stint in Costa Rica and his involvement on the technical staff of the 2002 World Cup team.

Mr. Ikin Williams - Equipment Manager.
Known for always being on the spot when needed, Mr. Williams is the longest serving member on the Technical Staff of our national team. His service as Equipment Manager spans from 1988, running through the 1990 Road to Italy campaign and even runs through the National Under 23 and Youth teams as well. His commitment to making sure that all is in place for training and on match day, will serve well in the present campaign.

Mr. Zephyrinus Nicholas - Physiotherapist.
Mr. Nicholas has been one of the most rapidly developing physiotherapists on the local scene. A member of the Trinidad & Tobago Defence Force, this easy going individual has served well on past National Teams including the Men's Under 20 team and the Women's Senior and Under 19 teams. With additional knowledge from several sports medicine workshops held by the CONCACAF Development Office, he possesses the necessary ability to oversee the fitness state of our players.

Our Destination - Journey To Germany 2006 Mission Statement.

To bring together all of the nation's top resources to form a truly united National Football team. A world-class unit that will emerge at the top of our zone and secure a position in the June 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany

Our Drive - Journey To Germany 2006 Vision.

To bring a new perspective to the way we represent ourselves in the international football arena, implementing the modern thinking and methodology that will raise the standard of our performance both on and off the field.

The World Cup Team.

We will structure our World Cup Team over a period of time using a process of stringent testing and assessment to ensure that the best of our resources are fully developed and utilized.
The initial team tryouts are opened to any footballer that holds a Trinidad & Tobago passport. From this skill bank, the World Cup Team will be developed by a continuous assessment process, which will run the span of the journey. On this team, selection depends entirely upon a performance-based system. All athletes must meet the required physical and skill standards to secure a position on the squad, after which they will be obligated to maintain this standard, and they would be monitored with this in mind.
The idea of a united national team will come to the forefront, meaning that all players, will begin training and playing together via a series of friendlies and invitationals scheduled over the campaign period. The first of these games being Trinidad & Tobago vs. Bermuda on February 10th and 12th in Bermuda followed by a Trinidad & Tobago All Star team vs. a Brazilian All Star team scheduled for February 18th in Trinidad at the Hasley Crawford National Stadium. These are both part of the assessment and grooming the team will be undergoing as it progresses.

The Road Map - Team Development Strategies.

On the Journey to Germany, our focus lies ahead, looking back only briefly to assess our weaknesses in an effort to raise our standards. This thinking has spawned the idea of making the key difference in this World Cup campaign the use of modern, innovative team management techniques. With this focus, the Project Team has devised a system intended to maximize the full potential of all the resources available:
It will use the latest technology available for team fitness and development Management will form strong links with some of the leading footballing countries and organizations with the intent of utilizing the information and facilities they have to offer.
The team will utilize the human resource skills of the Project Team, which will address all internal and external issues that affect team synergy, resulting in a truly unified unit. This process will include mechanisms such as player retreats for players and their spouses, regular team meetings and other interactive vehicles
The entire schedule of the campaign will be strategically planned for efficient time management. This will allow the players the benefit of getting as many practice sessions together over the time period.

Nigel Grosvenor appointed National Under 17 coach, La Forest to lead Under 20s.

By Shaun Fuentes.
01-Dec-2003 - St Anthony’s College National Intercol and League winning coach Nigel Grosvenor has been appointed Head coach to prepare the National Under 17 team for the next World Championship.
The decision to appoint Grosvenor was taken by the executive committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation last week as the country approaches preparations for the Caribbean Football Union qualifying competition for the 2005 World Under 17 Championship in Peru. The qualifiers are scheduled to run from September 15-December 17, 2004.
The TTFF also appointed Former National player Ron La Forest as head coach of the National Under 20 team which will also be going into qualifying action next year ahead of the 2005 World Youth Championship in Holland.
Grosvenor has enjoyed tremendous success at the Secondary Schools level with St Anthony’s, guiding them to several national titles, the most recent being the 2004 National Intercol and League championships.
He expressed a feeling of honour on his appointment to the National team.
“As a player your dream is always to play for the national team and if you are a coach, the dream becomes one of getting the chance to coach a national team. I always dreamt of playing but I lost that chance because of my injury and now after several years as a coach I have received this opportunity to coach. This is a tremendous honour for me,” Grosvenor told TTFF Media on Monday.
He is no stranger to doing the job with players at the youth level adding “I prefer working with the Under 17s because this is the age group I am accustomed doing the job with. It’s a challenge but more importantly it’s an honour and I am looking forward to working at this level.”
He added that even though questions may be raised about his future with St Anthony’s, he’s not unduly worried at this point in time.
“Some people may be worried about this but I will put things in place to ensure that the ball keeps rolling. The country is really the important issue at this time so there’s no comparison with the two teams,” said Grosvenor.
Also appointed to work alongside Grosvenor is assistant coach Sean De Four while Winston St Clair will serve as team manager, Keston Davidson (physiotherapist) and Ricardo Stevanson as trainer.
Working alongside La Forest at the Under 20 level will be manager Rudy Roberts, assistant coach Michael McComie, physiotherapist Terrant Vance, trainer Gilbert Bateau and equipment manager Ronald Franklyn.
La Forest, who served as national Under 17 coach last year, said he was again looking forward to the challenge.
“This appointment is like a promotion for me having worked with the youth team at the Under 17 level and I have accepted it in good spirits,” La Forest said.
“The players at this level are the ones I really like working with because their minds are still green and they are still keen to learn about the game. Having seen the football in the Schools League this year, I recognize that we have some really nice talent coming out of the action I am buzzing with enthusiasm to start the preparations. Like any other challenge, it is not going to be an easy one but at the same time I am welcoming it,” added the Joe Public coach. CFU qualifying action for the World Under 20 championship runs from August 15 – December 15, 2004.
Meanwhile, Sixfields could become the European training and playing base for the Trinidad & Tobago national side. Cobblers chairman David Cardoza and chief executive Peter Miller are jetting off to Dubai this weekend for a meeting with Austin Jack Warner, the FIFA vice president and president of CONCACAF.
As well as watching Cobblers youngster Chris Carruthers turn out for England under-20s in their opening match of the World Championships against Japan, Cardoza and Peter Miller will be aiming to secure a lucrative tie-up with the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation.
The talks will centre on proposals to establish a UK training base to assist Trinidad & Tobago's preparations as they bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
A large chunk of their squad are European-based, and Miller said: 'If we can agree a partnership this will give Northampton Town and all football supporters in the area access to top quality international matches.'
'Northampton is an ideal UK base for an international side. The motorway links are second to none, we are within an hour of both London and Birmingham and we have a number of major airports within easy travelling distance. 'With this in mind, we are also talking to a number of other national associations about the possibility of a similar venture.
'The benefits of a potential link up are enormous. Of course, any link up would provide the club with a brand new revenue stream, totally independent from the on-pitch activities of the Cobblers. '
The Trinidad & Tobago squad currently includes the likes of Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, Birmingham City's Stern John and former Cobblers midfielder Brent Rahim.
The Cobblers are also hoping to stage more England international matches in the future.
Last season the under-17s international held at the ground was a massive success, and the club is close to agreeing a deal with the English FA to stage matches at Sixfields at a number of different levels in the new year. The club hope to be in a position to make formal announcements in the next few weeks.

Government $560,000 for football programme.

By Nigel Simon.
11-Sept-2003 - The Stern John Football Skills Award Programme will benefit from a $560,000 injection from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs which will be distributed evenly over a four-year period at $140,000.
This was announced by Roger Boynes, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, at the launch of the programme at the VIP Lounge, Hasely Crawford Stadium, yesterday.
It is being run in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the Stern John Organising Committee, headed by chairman Mary Siu Butt.
Boynes noted the main reason for supporting the programme was because it dealt directly with development of young people at the primary school level, which was also part of the local football federation and his Ministry’s programme to develop football.
He said: “A structured approach from the ground level of primary schools football is so badly lacking in the country and this programme will be of maximum benefit to all parts of the country.”
The programme is geared towards school children, both boys and girls between the ages of 9-11, and will involve 80 primary schools, 10 each from the eight educational districts in Trinidad and Tobago.
Phase one of the course, which runs from September 19-26, will deal specifically with the training of schools teachers by the 13 qualified coaches from the Defence Force and Petrotrin combined.
The coaches are former national footballers Clayton Morris, Dexter Lee, Hudson Charles, Kerry Jameson, Dexter Francis, Dexter Skeene, Philbert Jones and Brian Williams.
Other coaches involved