Nataki Kerr’s makeshift office on the sixth floor of the Hyatt Regency has a beautiful view of downtown Port-of-Spain. Kerr barely has time to notice though—thanks to the constant ringing of her BlackBerry, meetings and people coming in to seek her advice or solve problems. We met on August 25, and at that time, the Deputy CEO of the Local Organising Committee of the Fifa Women Under-17 World Cup was in overdrive. “I have bags under my eye?” she queried when asked if she’s getting any sleep. “Not as much as I would like,” she said. The World Cup officially begins today and Trinidad and Tobago will be the first Caribbean country to host the event.
They temporarily relocated their offices to the Hyatt where the LOC has occupied nine rooms on the sixth floor. FIFA has three floors of offices in the hotel. When the first game kicks off, not only will the players be under scrutiny but so too will be the venues and the pitches. In the months leading up to the tournament, much concern has been expressed over the readiness of the venues. Kerr assured everything would be in place when the first whistle blows. “We are going to be ready. We worked feverishly, turning day into night,” she said. The work on the five stadiums have focused on infrastructural issues such as roofing and the preparation of the playing and training fields to FIFA’s standards.
Kerr assumed her position a year ago to bring together all the elements necessary for the successful staging of the World Cup but the LOC’s efforts have not been without criticism. Sports Minister Anil Roberts has been reportedly critical of the advertising for the event. “He’s correct in a sense. It probably could have been more aggressive and we have discussed that,” she said, adding that there would be increased advertising in the days leading up to the tournament. One thing she has been vocal about though is ticket sales. “I have been urging the public to get their tickets early before it’s too late,” she said, noting that corporate T&T has bought blocs of tickets for schoolchildren to attend the matches.
Kerr said local support for the World Cup is important especially since T&T’s young Soca Princesses stand a good chance of making it through the early rounds. “I think they will surprise us. They have been training really hard under coach Evan Pellerud. He is known as a winning coach and he has had them under a rigorous programme.”
Kerr hopes that by hosting the games, more locals would develop an appreciation for women’s football, which, she said, is played by millions around the world. “Sepp Blatter (Fifa President) said the future of football is feminine. It’s not just about football but the legacy we will leave. The legacy is not just in the game but in the learning you get. It’s about gender sensitivity and gender relations, opening minds to all the elements that come into play with women on the field.”
Kerr said the tournament has many benefits to the country. She said there has been a developmental aspect to the World Cup with coaching programmes and the like being held throughout the year to benefit locals. Capitalising on the World Cup is key if there is hope to reap long-term benefits. Kerr said a Women in Sports Commission has been discussed and may be implemented following the World Cup. A single mother of one boy, Kerr left a long career at Eastern Credit Union to take up the Deputy CEO post at the Local Organising Committee. Richard Groden is the CEO. At the credit union, she worked her way up from marketing assistant to executive director for Marketing, Research and Communications and though she was happy, she wanted a new challenge.
“I was having a great time at the credit union. I always call it my home because I learnt so much there,” she said. “I took this job because of the event and I am an event planner,” said Kerr, who teaches event management at the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS). She holds First Class Honours in History and English, from UWI and an MBA with a specialty in Marketing from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business. Pulling together the Under-17 World Cup has taught her a lot. “In every management job you learn to deal with different kinds of people and in football you get all kinds of people, mainly stakeholders and you have to manage your relations with all of them. I’ve learnt best practices in managing large events because Fifa has high standards, they’re a template for everything. Everybody here has learnt a lot working with Fifa.”
Kerr is also the marketing director for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), and will still be busy post-World Cup as she plans to focus on providing structures for the way the organisation does business. Of course, the interview won’t be complete without asking her the one question she is often asked: How it is working with Jack Warner? “Mr Warner is very charming. Whether or not you like him, you learn a lot from him. He puts his money where his mouth is and he has opened my eyes to many things. I always tell him thanks. We don’t always agree but he likes the fact that I am not a robot, he appreciates free-speaking people.”