Members of the National Senior Men’s Team showed up at the San Fernando Boys Government Primary School on Tuesday to participate in the school’s annual Career Day.
Led by head coach Dennis Lawrence, players Marvin Phillip, Adrian Foncette and Jomal Williams along with staff members, assistant coach Stern John, Goalkeeper coach Ross Russell, Logistics manager Wayne Cunningham and media officer Shaun Fuentes addressed the audience of students and teachers and interacted with the pupils, also presenting football giveaways to the winners of a football skills competition of which Jermali Diaz was victorious. He was presented with a training bag and a football while the other top two participants received footballs.
Phillip and his teammates were mobbed by over some one hundred students at the end for selfies.
“I think we all enjoyed being here for the occasion and being able to interact and address the students ,” Lawrence said. “These are important exercises for the youth and it is important that we can use our experiences and platforms such as these to pass on whatever advice and words of encouragement to the young ones,” he added.
The Trinidad and Tobago team returned from Wales last Thursday following the international friendly in Wrexham while John and Russell arrived from Atlanta on Monday night from a TTFA U-17 Players Combine for North American-based players. The Senior Team will resume its preparations in a few weeks for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States in June. John meantime is back on the training pitch as he prepares the National Under 17 Men’s Team for the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Men’s championship at IMG Academy in Florida from May 1st.
Phillip, the T&T senior team goalkeeper, added, “I started just like you on a playing field kicking around a plastic bottle or a cork and then moved on to develop myself because I had a passion and desire to become a footballer.
“You don’t necessary have to be a footballer but you may want to be a fireman, a police officer or a doctor. The important thing is discipline. Once you are disciplined and never give up on your dreams then you can achieve and become anything you set your mind to,” Phillip told the students.