Constin to lead Senior Women’s Team against Friendlies versus Panama
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) can confirm that Constantine Konstin has been appointed as Interim Head Coach of the Senior Women’s National Team. Konstin, who most recently lead the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s Futsal Team at the 2021 CONCACAF Futsal Championships in May, will now lead the Senior Women’s Team into two friendly internationals versus Panama later this month.
In addition to working extensively with Men’s and Women’s Football and Futsal Teams in Portland, Konstin also served as head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago National Women’s U18 Futsal Team at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina in 2018.
Konstin told TTFA Media, “I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to be part of team T&T again as Women’s National Team interim head coach. I can’t wait to get back to T&T to be working side by side with the players and sta5 who already have a great foundation in place.”
Normalization Committee Chairman Robert Hadad stated, “Cony (Konstin) has always been committed to T&T football and futsal development and we have been having regular discussions with him on how that may take shape headed into 2022. So when the situation arose with James Thomas’ sudden departure, Cony kindly accepted this caretaker/interim role until November.
“We will continue to evaluate the options available in preparation for the CONCACAF W Qualifiers in February and April 2022.”
The Senior Women’s National Team will play Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 21st and 25th October 2021 as both teams prepare for the CONCACAF W Qualifiers which will now take place in February 2022. The teams will be housed at the Home of Football in a bio-secure environment with the matches being played with the approval of the Ministry of Health.
Senior Women’s National Team Assistant Coach Charlie Mitchell and the current staff will support Konstin in his new role which will run until 30th November 2021.
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NC appoints American Futsal coach to lead T&T Women’s team, Konstin ‘honoured’ by first 11-a-side job.
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868).
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has replaced Welshman James Thomas with American Constantine Konstin as head coach of the Women’s National Senior Team, on an interim basis.
Thomas, who quit the job last week for the post of Bristol City Women and Girls youth development manager, had never worked as head coach before he came to Trinidad and Tobago. In Konstin’s case, the American has never coached a recognised team in 11-a-side football.
Konstin was head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Futsal Team which, earlier this year, lost all four outings with a goal differential of eight scored and 25 conceded. The American described his stint as an ‘amazing’ accomplishment.
He will now get the chance to show what he can do in outdoor football, after an extraordinary decision by the Fifa-appointed normalisation committee.
The normalisation committee has operated throughout without a technical committee, while NC chairman Robert Hadad has not even utilised his ‘ad hoc selection panel’ for recent decisions. Hadad spoke briefly on Konstin’s appointment.
“‘Connie’ [Konstin] has always been committed to T&T football and futsal development and we have been having regular discussions with him on how that may take shape headed into 2022,” Hadad told the TTFA Media. “So when the situation arose with James Thomas’ sudden departure, Connie kindly accepted this caretaker/interim role until November.
“We will continue to evaluate the options available in preparation for the Concacaf W Qualifiers in February and April 2022.”
The normalisation committee’s decision to fly in and house an American with no confirmed coaching experience at outdoor football is particularly perplexing when several local coaches such as Anton Corneal, Richard Hood, Shawn Cooper, Marlon Charles and Jason Spence have led women’s teams with varying degrees of success at Caribbean Football Union (CFU) or Concacaf level.
Hood, who led Trinidad and Tobago to the 2016 Concacaf Women’s Championship semi-finals, confirmed that he had not been offered the job by the normalisation committee. A UEFA A license coach, Hood applied for the head coach and assistant coach position earlier this year. The Police FC coach did not get either job.
Thomas is believed to have earned US$7,500 (TT$51,000) a month as head coach.
Konstin, who is on his second job for the normalisation committee, said he can’t wait to get started.
“I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to be part of team T&T again as Women’s National Team interim head coach,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back to T&T to be working side-by-side with the players and staff who already have a great foundation in place.”
Konstin will lead the Women Soca Warriors into this month’s friendlies against Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium on 21 and 25 October, as both teams prepare for the Concacaf W Qualifiers, set to take place in February 2022.
WATCH Konstin anticipates new challenge with Trinidad and Tobago Women's Senior Team
TTFA appoints Konstin as Women’s coach.
T&T Guardian Reports.
American Constantine Konstin has been appointed interim head coach of the T&T Senior Women’s National Team according to a release from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) on Wednesday.
Konstin, who recently led the T&T's Men’s Futsal Team at the 2021 CONCACAF Futsal Championships in May, will now lead the Senior Women’s Team into two friendly internationals versus Panama on 21 and 25 October at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva.
In addition to working extensively with Men’s and Women’s Football and Futsal Teams in Portland, Konstin also served as head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago National Women’s U18 Futsal Team at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina in 2018.
Konstin told TTFA Media, “I am extremely honoured to have the opportunity to be part of team T&T again as Women’s National Team interim head coach. I can’t wait to get back to T&T to be working side by side with the players and staff who already have a great foundation in place.”
Normalization Committee Chairman Robert Hadad stated, “Cony (Konstin) has always been committed to T&T football and futsal development and we have been having regular discussions with him on how that may take shape heading into 2022. So when the situation arose with James Thomas’ sudden departure, Cony kindly accepted this caretaker/interim role until November. We will continue to evaluate the options available in preparation for the CONCACAF W Qualifiers in February and April 2022.”
Last week Welshman Thomas, who was hired in April as the team's head coach resigned to pick up the position as Bristol City as their Women and Girls Youth Development Manager. He had previously spent four years within the academy set-up.
The T&T team technical staff which comprises Thomas' assistant Charlie Mitchell (Assistant Coach & Performance Analyst), James Baird (Goalkeeper Coach), Joanne Daniel (Team Manager), Terry Johnson-Jeremiah (Equipment Manager), Atiba Downes (Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Aqilya Gomez (Rehab Specialist) will support Konstin in his new role which will run until 30th November 2021.
For the upcoming CONCACAF W Qualifiers, T&T are in Group F along with Guyana, Nicaragua, Dominica, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The teams will be housed at the Home of Football in a bio-secure environment with the matches being played with the approval of the Ministry of Health.
Both T&T and Panama will be using the exercise as preparations for the start of the CONCACAF W Qualifiers which have been shifted from November to the FIFA Women’s Window of February 2022.
No spectators will be allowed at the upcoming matches which will take place in a bio-secure bubble with both teams being housed at the Home of Football hotel, using the Stadium and Training pitch for all activities.
In the build-up to the encounters, the T&T Women’s Team will enter a residential camp on October 15th.
Panama defeated Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in Group stage action at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying championship.