After eight months as Technical Director of football in T&T, Lincoln Phillips has convinced the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs to be a major player in the development of the game in the country.
Yesterday, Minister Roger Boynes announced that his ministry will be assisting with $18 million of the budgeted $30 million for the development of the sport over the next year.
The Technical Director, working with our staff, developed a comprehensive document, a bible as it were, for the development of football from the communities to the national teams with regards to seniors, Under-23, Under-20, Under-17 and Under-15, Boynes said at a press conference at the ministrys new offices at 14 Abercromby Street in Port-of-Spain.
I think it is a major landmark in the country as it relates to football, said Minister Boynes.
Government is prepared to take football to the next level and this comprehensive plan is the way forward for the sport in T&T, he added.
This exercise shows that it will cost approximately $30M to develop these teams comprehensively.
This includes, among other things, coaches education, player development, staffing and travel of the teams.
The money set aside for the development of football is part of $85M approved by Cabinet for the new Sports Company programme.
Apart from football, among the other sports to benefit will be cricket, track and field, basketball and netball.
The governing T&T Football Federation will have to find the remaining $12M to fund the programme.
As relates to this development plan, the TTFF has the final green-light, Boynes pointed out.
Phillips indicated that the end result of the development plan is to have all nationals teams qualify for the World Cup and other intertnational tournaments by the year 2014.
I know we have the talent to make it possible, he stated.
This is great news from the ministry. It brings music to my ears.
We need to have money for these projects.
Minister Boynes also said that his ministry will be doing its part in ensuring that the present team get to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
He urged the players to give of their best and we are going to provide the resources.