A Southern Football Association Under-17 team will tour Suriname for an overseas training camp for the very first time ever.
A contingent of SFA under-17 footballers under technical director Muhammad Isa and coach Kendall Crawford will leave for Paramaribo this morning and are expected to return on April 5.
The SFA must thank the Olilfield Workers Trade Union for this venture which is aimed at developing their Centre for Excellence programme.
According to Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation vice-president and SFA president Rudolph Thomas the OWTU through their president Errol McLeod handed over a cheque for $40,000 toward his association’s development programme.
Thomas said following the successful youth development programme undertaken by the TTFF since 1980, they decided to start their present Centre for Excellence to teach young footballers between the ages of seven and 18 the fundamental techniques of football.
He said, “The success of the SFA’s Centre for Excellence is demonstrated in the significant number of participants who have gone on to represent their schools at the primary and secondary levels, graduated to national teams and to both local and foreign professional clubs, as well as earn scholarships to tertiary institutions abroad.”
Thomas added, “The TTFF’s recent concentration on the technical development of coaches and players has prompted further adjustments to the programme by the SFA which is also supported by Petrotrin.
“Our intention is to be the vanguard of the TTFF’s commitment to produce quality players to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago’s football maintains the world class status of our recent World Cup qualification.”
Announcing the SFA squad will travel to Suriname, Thomas said “our players must start developing from young and must learn how to take a ‘spit in yuh face’ and stay cool and continue playing the game.”
Presenting the cheque OWTU’s McLeod said, “He felt his organisation could make a contribution to society by aligning itself with the people’s sport through the SFA as the union also set about in establishing a youth arm.”
He said, “We thought that we might identify with that (football). We see young people who we believe are serious and will continue to be disciplined and establish themselves as exemplars of all youth in Trinidad and Tobago.”
McLeod added, “In 2006 this country and indeed the Caribbean was well represented by the “Soca Warriors” and we applaud them again. Today we see young people who we believe can give us more excellent representation.”
He urged the younsters, “Aim to be the best footballer, aim to be the best cricketer and above all aim to be the best patriotic representative of Trinidad and Tobago.”
McLeod continued, “We decided that we made a financial contribution to the development as we move towards World Cup 2010.
“In terms of corporate Trinidad and Tobago, our contribution is small and we demand that they make a contribution.
“Companies declare hundreds of millions of dollars in profit and the OWTU is coming after them to make contributions to football.”