In Aranguez Savannah, every Sunday morning, Coach Ivor shows up at 7 AM to coach boys and girls the basics of football. He cuts the grass himself, a simple 20 square foot field, so that his players wouldn’t be running through three feet of wild grass when training. In the East – Arima, TTFA Safeguarding Officer Stacey-Ann Augustus and her husband runs Creek Sports Academy for youths five to eighteen, feeding hundreds of players, housing hundreds of players in her home for tournaments and overseas competitions.
Derek King, the PNM councillor for the area, does not even cut the grass in the Arima Savannah despite many requests from all the academies that operate there, but cuts the section where he has his over 40 big belly sweat competitions.
In the south, St. John Recreation Ground, Coach Alon Forrester, saw the vast amount of idle and disadvantaged youths in his community, founded Forrester Football Academy with just three students and now coaches all age groups with over three hundred students, boys and girls.
Coach Forrester used his own money and built his academy from nothing, and now runs the most professional grassroots academy in South Trinidad. They are not perfect, nobody is, but they are making the effort, and they are giving youths the opportunity and producing amazing players.
I felt like vomiting when the TTFA president said that coaches are failing the youths. What utter nonsense from this once highly respected man in football. His administration was the one responsible for sacking Anton Corneal.
This Anton Corneal spearheaded the Academy Registration Program, because he understands the important role of academies in feeding talent. He further spearheaded the coaching education program, offering Licenses A,B,C and D for all levels of players.
Under Coach Rajesh Latchoo and Coach Paul Decle they were educating coaches with a unified vision of football, replicating the model used by Iceland that led them to qualification to a World Cup.
Crown Trace FC spoke about the chaotic start to the TTFA Youth League. No medics, late and improper communication, lack of referees and limited substitutions. How could President Edwards say coaches are failing youth when we have coaches like the head coach of Crown Trace FC moving mountains for youths and grassroots football?
You know which coach is failing? Derek King, and he is still there! If he is so good as interim boss, then make him head coach, but no, he apparently has some clout on the TTFA hierarchy, hence he is still there selecting expired players like Joevin Jones.
I demand a public apology from the President of the TTFA, for utter disrespect to football coaches across Trinidad and Tobago. The TTFA is failing football, failing academies, failing coaches and failing the youths of Trinidad and Tobago.
Kendell Karan,
Chaguanas
