The Soca Princesses were able to raise a further US$1,500 via an exhibition match against FC Dallas women on Thursday night at the Toyota Soccer Centre, Dr Pink Field, Dallas, USA, as they continue to put a torrid start to their US training camp ahead of next week’s Concacaf Women’s World Cup qualifiers behind them.
Earlier on Thursday, T&T’s USA-born coach Randy Waldrum was able to source US$9,300 in donations after his twitter rant on Tuesday about the lack of support from the T&T Football Association was met with shock by most of the local sporting and international community.
Meanwhile, the Haitian women’s team, who T&T will face next, decided to empty its account by donating all of its US$1,300 to the T&T team to carry the total monies collected by the team over the last three days to US$52,600.
In addition to the monies raised and other donations given to the team by well wishers and close football associates of Waldrum from the Dallas community, the Maylee Attin-Johnson-captained team, which meets host USA in its group opener on Wednesday, was also provided with US$40,000 from the TTFA after it was able to change some of the $250,000 the local federation received from the Sports Company (SPoRTT).
Taking to his twitter account Waldrum tweeted: “A huge thank you to @FCDallas for going above & beyond for T&T WNT. Gave us facility, game proceeds, meals, etc. Front office is top class.”
Earlier on, Waldrum, a former coach at top US women’s College team, the University of Notre Dame, also praised his team’s first contributors in Richie Jaynes, tweeting: A huge thanks to @richiejaynes & family for being the 1st to come to our aid...2 meals, drinks, money, and time committed to T&T! #classact.”
On Tuesday, 13 members of the Soca Princesses team and technical staff left for Dallas, Texas for the final part of their live-in camp ahead of the World Cup qualifiers with only US$500 and on arrival in the USA when coach Waldrum heard the news he took to social media to vent his anger, which he then apologised for via a letter to the T&TFA president Raymond Tim Kee.
The Soca Princesses are preparing for their opening Concacaf Women’s Final Round Fifa World Cup 2015 qualifiers against host USA next Wednesday at Sporting Park, Kansas City, from 8.30 pm.
In addition to USA, the T&T will also face Haiti on October 17 at Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois, from 6.30 pm and Guatemala two days later to end round-robin play at Robert F Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington DC while Jamaica, runners-up to T&T in the CFU women’s competition competes in the other group with Costa Rica and Mexico.