When Joffrey Chambers was inducted into the West Indian Tobacco Hall of Fame on Friday October 20, 2000, for his achievements in football, he was described as “one of the most complete and brilliant footballers the country has produced, a very good cricketer, and later football coach.
Chambers, who was only last year predeceased by his wife Elsa, and is survived by children Michael and Margaret, five grandchildren, and three great grandchildren, was recently laid to rest at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery after a Funeral Mass at the Church of the Assumption, Maraval, celebrated by Fr Garfield Rochard.
One of the unsung heroes of this country, the 93-year-old, was born, raised and devoted to Belmont, where he lived for most of his life. In 1995, the “Belmont Personality” was one of the City Day Awardees in recognition and appreciation for his service to the community in various fields of endeavour.
After captaining QRC in both cricket and football in 1935, Chambers joined Maple concentrating mainly on football. And in 1937 represented Trinidad in the triangular tournament against Demerara (now Guyana) and Suriname. TT won the trophy. After touring British Guiana (Guyana) in 1946 with the Trinidad team, Chambers returned with his sights set on becoming involved in coaching the game. And in 1950 was granted a Football Scholarship by the TAFA to coaching courses in Loughborough, Leeds and Birmingham, in England, after which he revolutionised the coaching of football in this country.
He returned brimming with new and dynamic ideas, but found himself thwarted by many who felt these were not suited to the Trinidad and Tobago personality, and so although official coach of the TAFA, Chambers used Dynamos as his “guinea pig” to introduce the third back system, winning the second division championship in 1953. In 1957, Chambers introduced them to the 4-2-4 system and won the second division again. Four time winners, Dynamos was promoted to the first division and with Chambers at the helm won in their first year the Best Dark Virginia (BDV) Cup, and the next year the Football Association Cup.
In 1956 Chambers was loaned for 15 days to the Grenada Football Association to assist in training the youths in the scientific approach to the game of soccer, with particular emphasis in the introduction of the “third back” system. In 1964, this very quiet and unassuming man who had joined Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise in 1937, was selected by the Comptroller of Customs and Excise to reorganise the Customs Department in St Lucia, and act as head, while still not an Administrative Officer. He not only performed efficiently and received high commendations from the St Lucia Government but they requested his return in 1967 to revise the Customs laws together with their Attorney General, and during his nine-month tour of duty, in 1964/65, he assisted in coaching the St Lucia Football Team to winning the Windward Islands Popham series for the first time ever in 18 years.
A newspaper reporter wrote “Chambers has done more for local football than almost anyone I know.”