W-CONNECTION coach Stuart Charles Fevrier, addressing the closing ceremony of the Milo/Harvard Football Coaching Clinic 2009 at the Harvard Club, Serpentine Road, St Clair, recently used his own life story as an example to the participating kids at the clinic, if only to emphasise what it takes to become successful in the game football.
Born in Curacao and growing up in St Lucia, Fevrier said he practised every day because he had that love for the game.
He added that football gave him the opportunity to play for St Lucia at age 17, but had too much talent to stay in St Lucia.
When he soon after got an invitation to play in TT, he said to him, it was like going to Brazil to play.
However it was not that easy.
His parents didn’t like the idea of him, the fifth of eight boys, coming to live and play in TT at that age, especially when he didn’t have any family or friends here.
But, said Fevrier, “I cried so much that everybody at home was swimming in tears.” His parents eventually gave him their blessings and in TT, Fevrier went on to play with Fulham, Pro Pioneers and Sphinx, at a time when the crack shot players of TT’s 1974 World Cup campaign were dominating the game here.
“Those were priceless years,” said Fevrier who went on to play another five years with ASL then Trintoc.
In his first years with the latter team, that club emerged winners of the league.
With that, St Lucia’s Sports Minister at the time, came to TT to seek his help with St Lucia football.
Fevrier was only 27 then and felt he was not ready to take that step just yet.
Two years later Fevrier decided to go into coaching because as a player he had already won every trophy in this country so he went back to St Lucia to coach.
This he did for five years and got his national team to third place in regional football. But several calls to him from W Connection manager David John-Williams and Fevrier was back in TT to coach the local club team.
In the meantime, Fevrier went though coaching training, spending six months in Brazil, four months in Hungary, spent some more time in England and completed all the relevant FIFA courses. To Fevrier, football is pleasure and in the last ten years that he has been with W Connection, the team has won 26 titles.
Fevrier turns 50 on January 10, and told the youngsters that in the 33 years he has been in active football he has been very fortunate to be involved in football in the Caribbean.
He said telling his life story as a football person was to reinforce the things the children have been hearing from their own coaches. “Once you have the ball, create space to execute your shot, and learn to master a ball at your feet.”
He also told the kids that he always wanted something out of the game, and then advised that they must first have a love for the game and not think of the money before that love because it is only a good amateur who goes on to a higher level.
He also stated that love for the game, discipline, punctuality, dedication, humility and willingness to learn were all ingredients for success and added, “Always remember to always give your best, regardless of what level you play,” then told them that they were fortunate to have the support of a Club such as Harvard and experienced coaches.
Several awards were given out on the day with Tirek George capturing the Overall Player of the Year.
Other players receiving outstanding awards in the various age groups were Stephen McSween, Kareem Trotman, Jesse St Louis-Evans, Daniel Callender, Bixente Ragbir, Kylon Jacob, Xavier Bowen and Mikhail Phillips, while Daena Vautor-La Placelierre was the most outstanding female footballer.