The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association recently hosted three youth football clinics in which twenty-five Primary Schools and coaching schools benefitted from the exercise and each received footballs to assist their development programs.
The TTFA, with its youth coaches, conducted three-hour sessions at the Nelson Mandela Park (formerly King George V Park) in Port of Spain the Larry Gomes Stadium in Malabar and the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella. Scotiabank Foundation and Lifestyle Motors partnered with the TTFA for the clinics.
Former a National Senior team captain Angus Eve oversaw the first session in Port of Spain at which youngsters from Boissiere Village RC, Carenage Role Models,St Agnes RC, Maraval RC, La Seiva RC, Mucurapo Boys RC, Mucurapo Girls RC, Debe/Bell View/Dundonald Hill Sports club and Step by Step, engaged in the three-hour clinic.
Eve said he was quite pleased with the response of the kids and the effort of the FA to provide the opportunity for the participants.
“I felt really good about it. These programs are much needed in the county, the society, not just for the sporting side of it but also the holistic aspect where the kids have something more positive to do instead of getting involved in crime and drugs,” Eve said.
“This is a tremendous objective by the TTFA along with Scotia Bank and Lifestyle to get involved with human development. Hopefully these youths will grow up to be outstanding citizens so for me to be out there with them is a joy and they keep me young because their enthusiasm to want to lay the game reminds me of when I was younger,” Eve continued.
TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee also attended the session in Port of Spain, saying he too was encouraged by the passion and keenness displayed by the participants.
“It was indeed a great pleasure to witness over a hundred of these kids from the schools in the Port of Spain district engaging in such healthy activity and expressing themselves in the way they did during the clinic,” Tim Kee stated.
“One of the main objectives of the TTFA is to provide opportunities for the growth and development of the game in whichever way we can. In spite of some of the ongoing challenges we face, the joy and the beauty of the game and the positive effects it has on our people must not be prevented from being widespread and we will continue to strive towards maintaining our efforts in achieving this,” Tim Kee added.
At the clinic in Marabella, the schools attending included Cocoyea Government Primary School, Gasparillo Government Primary, Grant Memorial Presbyterian, Marabella Government Primary, Pleasantville Government Primary, San Fernando Boys RC. St Paul’s Anglican, St Madeleine Government and Vos Government Primary.
The Schools participating from the East were Arima Boys Government, Arima Boys RC, D’Abadie Government, Arima New Government and Memphis FC.
At the end of each session, awards were presented to the Five Most Promising players among boys and girls.
The TTFA will resume the campaign later in the year within other districts including Tobago. Last year the TTFA launched this programme and conduced several clinics in areas such as Blanchisseuse, Manzanilla, Debe, La Brea, Morvant, Point Fortin and Palo Seco.
More than 1,000 youngsters from some 40 primary schools received formal training at the three-hour clinics conduced by the TTFA youth coaches and the schools each received ten Chevrolet indestructible footballs through the FA’s partnership with the One World Futbol project.
President of the Republic Anthony Carmona launched the campaign last year at Blanchisseuse and continues to support the TTFA’s initiative.