On a night when Aurtis Whitley won T&T Pro League team CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh's Most Valuable Player award, it was also revealed that the club's major sponsor had pumped some $20 million into the club in the last nine years.
On Tuesday evening at the Cascadia Hotel, St Anns, the local club celebrated its' top achievers, giving out awards to its various netball teams and also its age-group and senior footballers.
At the function, chairman Gerry Hospedales lauded the efforts of CL Financial Limited Chairman Lawrence Duprey for aligning his company with a community where anti-social behavior among youth was common.
Hospedales urged other companies to follow suit since he felt that Dupery's investment in Jabloteh had already reaped rich dividends since that the club had contributed eight players who participated at some stage in Trinidad and Tobago's successful World Cup qualifying campaign.
"We have provided a career path for young players," Hospedales said, while pointing out Cornell Glen (Columbus Crew), Colin Samuel (Dundee United), Kelvin Jack (Dundee United) and Hector Sam (Wrexham) as examples of those who had gone all the way by earning contracts with overseas club.
Hospedales said that T&T's qualification for the 2006 World Cup in Germany should not be a one-off event. He said there was no reason why T&T should not be at the World Cup in 2010 and beyond. But he also expressed the view that for T&T to consistently qualify for World Cups, there must be a viable professional league and a sustained youth development programme.
Hospedales said the T&T Pro League should have at least 10 teams. He hinted that the 2006 Pro League might well be increased by the addition of National Super League champions Joe Public and Mayaro Spurs. Hospedales announced that BP were investing heavily to 'professionalise' the Mayaro team who have made an application to get into the Pro League, and that Eastern Lions, Joe Public may also be returning to the fold after voluntarily leaving the pro ranks two years ago.
Secondly, Hospedales said that a sustained youth programme must be put in place to feed the professional ranks. He said several players have been identified who may fill Jabloteh's senior team in the next few years.
Jabloteh had 36 young players participating with teams in this year's Secondary Schools Football League. Ten of them played with East Zone League champions San Juan Secondary; nine with Big 5 runners up St Augustine Senior Comprehensive; five with St Anthony's College and still others with Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive, Queen's Royal College and St George's College.
These players, he said, will in years step into the club's senior team and in turn, provide talent for the T&T national side as well.
Among the senior team footballers who Jabloteh honoured on the night were Kerry Noray and Josh Johnson, who jointly won the title for scoring Most Goals (15).
Johnson was also adjudged Most Improved Player. And while Whitley is recognised as the best player at the club, his heir apparent has been identified as Thulani George, a under-14 player with lots of potential.