The 2010 National Women’s League Football (WoLF) season was due to kick-off at the weekend, but Corbin Cooper, coach of champs Tobago Women Football team, recently noted that he was still waiting on information on whether the league will have an official opening including march past and other formalities or if they will go straight into games.
The Tobago Women Football team, which made a clean sweep of the three tournaments— the League Championship, FA knockout and Big Four — in the inaugural season last year, is still waiting on their prize monies.
Corbin stated that they are depending on the prize monies, assistance from the Sports Division of the Tobago House of Assembly, and other corporate sponsors to cover their budget to participate in the League.
Cooper said that, last year, the team was under the management of the Tobago Football Association (TFA) and they funded the team. But he stressed that, since the new administration was elected, with Raymond Alleyne as president, the 2009 WoLF champs have received no communication from the TFA and he believes that, since the team was borne out of the initiative under the last administration, they should have contacted him and not the reverse.
However, he said that he had heard rumours that the TFA had spent too much money on the team last year and they might not be interested in funding the team this year. He added that they (TFA) seem only interested in the prize monies that they won.
Corbin stressed that, if they do not fund the team this year, he will change the team’s name from the Tobago Women Football team to the Tobago Women Football Club and try to restructure it to make it more self-sufficient.
Alleyne, in an interview on the Tobago News, insisted that the TFA is very interested in developing women’s football but noted that they have received no correspondence from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) and it was only after the former General Secretary, Arlon James and the present General Secretary Hayden Duke spoke to Cooper that they had some idea about what was going on.
Alleyne noted that his executive cannot and will not sanction anything that they know nothing about and added that at present they are financially strapped and unable to assist. Despite their situation, he said that they will contact the TTFF for more information on the Women’s League.
Successful Tobago women football team needs funding.
Tobago News.
Competition is scheduled to commence in Trinidad on Saturday. However, up to press time, head coach Corbin Cooper noted that he was still waiting on information on whether the League will have an official opening including march past and other formalities or if they will go straight into games.
The Tobago Women football team which made a clean sweep of the three tournaments, the League Championship, FA knockout and Big Four in the League last year is still waiting on their prize monies.
Corbin stated that they are depending on the prize monies, assistance from the Sports Division and other corporate sponsors to cover their budget to participate in the League.
Cooper told the Tobago News that last year the team was under the management of the Tobago Football Association and they funded the team, but he stressed that since the new administration with Raymond Alleyne as president has been elected they have received no communication from them and he believes that since the team was borne out of their initiative under the last administration they should have contacted him and not the reverse.
He said however, that he had heard rumours that the TFA had spent too much money on the team last year and they might not be interested in funding the team this year. He added that they seem only interested in the prize monies that they won.
Corbin stressed that if they do not fund the team this year, he will change the team's name from the Tobago Women Football team to the Tobago Women Football Club and try to restructure it to make it more self-sufficient.
However, the newly elected TFA president, Raymond 'Finey' Alleyne stressed to the Tobago News when asked to respond to Corbin's claims, that the TFA is very interested in developing women's football but noted that they have received no correspondence from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and it was only after the former General Secretary, Arlon James and the present General Secretary Hayden Duke spoke to Cooper that they had some idea about what was going on.
He noted that they cannot and will not sanction anything that they know nothing about and added that at present they are financially strapped and unable to assist. Despite their situation, he said that they will contact the Federation for more information on the League.