Toussaint, can you answer a few questions concerning Haiti's national academy. Was the U-17 that just competed in Korea the first set of particpants to enroll in the Haitian youth academy? Has coach Labaze been with this team since 1999/2000. What is the status of secondary school football in Haiti? In trini it is a big thing. Are the best schoolboys in Haiti associated with clubs, academy or schoolfootball? And lastly is it a live in academy where academic classes are taught or is it after school?
Regarding the U-17, the answer is no. I believe Labaze has been with the team for a long time and so is the coach of the U-20 who is an argentinian. Haitian youth teams often trained in overseas facilities like in France and Argentina.
Secondary school football used to be more important in Haitian football than it is now. However, we still have an intercol similar to the one you guys seem to have. Almost every village and neiborghood in the big cities in Haiti has a local club that participates in summertime tournaments called 'tisourit' (mice). That is the equivalent of what is called 'street football' in many countries. That also where some young talents are first spotted.
Many youth players play for first division clubs like Peterson and Fabien Vorbe. So they use to play with bigger guys.
Clubs are community based like in Europe and the US. Therefore secondary schools often follow the club that represents their community. Some Haitian clubs though like Violette and Racing CH have fans throughout the country.
The FHF organizes nationwide youth tournaments to recruit the best prospects.
Here is the winner of the best player trophy in the last tournament:
