The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation today welcomed Joycelyn Francois-Opadeyi on board its management team as she was appointed manager of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Under-17 team that heads into the final Concacaf qualifying round for the 2012 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.
Francois-Opadeyi will work alongside women’s technical director Even Pellerud, assistant manager Lyndell Hoyte-Williams and the rest of the staff.
The TTFF also recently introduced William Wallace as manager of the men’s national Under-23 team. Francois-Opadeyi is at present the Manager, Procurement and Support Services, Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. She represented T&T as a member of the National Women’s Hockey Team from 1977 -1994.
She also served as manager of the National Women’s Cricket team in 2000 and 1st Vice President of the West Indies Cricket Federation in 2002-2004.
TTFF marketing chief Anthony Harford said: “Joycelyn, as she prefers to be called, is eminently well qualified.
“She is an accountant, who has played for, and captained the national hockey team, has been national team manager and held several key positions in national and regional sport, brings considerable value to our sport and to the TTFF.
“The same can be said of Mr William Wallace who has recently assumed the challenge of managing the national Under-23 Olympic team, with Richard Piper as his assistant.”
Francois-Opadeyi will accompany the team on its upcoming training camps and the CONCACAF finals in Guatemala in May and pre-tournament preparation camp in Florida.
Wallace, a past President of the Secondary Schools Cricket League, has already commenced duties with the Men’s Olympic team and heads off with the team to Jamaica next week as well as Florida and California for the final round of Olympic qualifiers later this month.
Harford added: “The TTFF will continue to embark on a mission to ensure that quality individuals are involved in the various aspects of the federation whether it be in a coaching or administrative capacity.
“There is that commitment to have having a stabilised and professionally run organisation.” “This will not occur overnight but there are steps being taken in ongoing efforts to achieve this.”