Colleges Invitational All-Star Tournament kicked off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Saturday morning, with coaches and scouts from the United States and United Kingdom ready to observe the scores of male and female football talent in Trinidad and Tobago. Scouts were also greeted by one very special guest. Minister of Sport & Youth Affairs, the Honourable Darryl Smith, was on hand to greet the international visitors. He lauded the weekend’s activities as “very impressive”, and made particular mention at the quality of the overall initiative, which commenced with an International Symposium at the Kapok Hotel on Friday.
Teams from the North, South, East, West and Tobago registered in drones for today's tournament, not only to compete for $65,000 in prizes, but to also display their football skills to the scouts. For some of those in the audience, it was also an opportunity to see young, promising talent, mirrored in the recently-concluded Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) 2016 Season.
“We’ve had an incredible turnout here today, from both the players and their support teams. For us, it’s just a testament to the need for these kinds of programs and opportunities to develop the talent, have open and honest dialogue with stakeholders in the local and regional football fraternity, and to provide avenues for international success at the college, university and professional league levels outside of T&T,” explains Marc-Anthony William, Director of Sport for Colleges Invitational. William also expressed his appreciation to the Minister of Sport, the Honourable Daryl Smith, for attending the tournament. Coach Brynjar Thór Gestsoon from Iceland Club Trottor Vogum was impressed by the Minister’s visit. “As a first-time visitor to your island, having the Minister of Sport present was a clear reminder that, like the rest of the world, the desire for Trinidad and Tobago Football to succeed has to be an investment at every level – community, administration and government. All the scouts here hope that this initiative continues – there is a lot of talent here and in the Caribbean.”
Colleges Invitational All-Star Weekend continues today (Sunday) with the Pro and College Combine Showcase, where international coaches scouts will observe local male and female football talent for potential scholarship opportunities at the tertiary level, as well as professional league signings from such organisations as Arsenal Soccer Schools USA and Champs Academy. The showcase takes place at the Hasely Crawford Stadium from 9:00am.
Colleges Invitational All-Star Tournament: Male Teams
St. Anthony’s College
St. Mary’s College
Queen’s Royal College
Shiva Boys College
Diego Martin North Secondary
St. Benedict’s College
Central FC
East Mucurapo Secondary
Waterloo Institute
Crown Trace FC
St. James Secondary
St. Augustine Secondary
Tobago All-Star
Trinity College East
Colleges Invitational All-Star Tournament: Female Teams
St. Augustine Secondary
Diego Martin Central Secondary
St. James Secondary
St. Joseph’s Convent POS