Latchoo embraces coaching role
By Shaun Fuentes (TTFF)The little village of Cedar Hill, located ten minutes drive from Princes Town is not often known for producing individuals who may excel in sport at a national level.
The only noteworthy personality to have made it big from the “Hill” is former Miss Universe/Miss World representative Michelle Khan. But promising local football coach Rajesh Latchoo is keen on making a name for himself.
Currently the head coach of 2009 T&T Pro League champions Bmobile Joe Public FC, he is also on the instructors of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation overseeing the Coaching Courses under the Dutch vision.
The former St Stephen’s College student and member of the Princes Town Youth Football club, Latchoo says determination was a main factor in his journey from Cedar Hill to Joe Public where he started off as a youth coach.
“It was faith and God’s intervention that has gotten me to this point today. I finished school and got in Mechanical Engineering but I also liked sports from a young age. I was always involved in sports even though my school was not heavily involved in football or any sport," he said.
"Then I discovered different avenues that would allow me to get involved in sport and moreso football. I can recall the day I had to tell my father that I wanted to pursue football and not engineering. He had big hopes for me academic wise but he still supported me in this.
I engaged in the Art and Science of Coaching course at UWI. I was also part of a TTFF development course some years ago while at the Princes Town Youth football club and everything took off from there,” Latchoo said.
“I haven’t looked back since and I’ve continued to work on developing my coaching skills and I am thankful to Joe Public football club for the opportunity to coach at the professional level,” Latchoo added.
Regarding his position as a local coaching instructor, he added: “The experience has been valuable and I keep learning everyday while we teach the participants and exchanging views and ideas with the other instructors
And he expects Joe Public to feature highly in the upcoming T&T Pro League season.
“Despite having a relatively young squad this year, I think we will give a really good showing. Andre Toussaint’s knowledge and experience is a valuable asset to the team and we expect some of the other players to rise to the challenges ahead.
I think the team will have a fair amount of young players but also some new signings. The club itself focuses on developing younger players and we will always try to utilize our home grown talent,” he added.
