The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Spence as the Head Coach of Trinidad and Tobago’s Women’s Under-17 and Under-20 National Teams.
Spence has been an integral part of the Women’s National Programme for many years with stints as Assistant Coach of the Senior Women’s National Team, Assistant Coach of the Women’s U-20 Team, and Head Coach of the Women’s U-20 Team.
His most recent appointment was the Head Coach of the Women’s National U-15 Team in 2020, which was unfortunately halted by the pandemic.
Commenting on his appointment, Spence said: “I am indeed humbled by the demonstration of confidence the TTFA/NC has placed in me. More importantly I know the players themselves will be excited to get back on the field to do what they love.”
“Women’s football continues to be my passion and I am eager to get to work. As it relates to the preparation for the tournament, it is no secret that the time frame, especially for the CONCACAF level is very short, however my very capable staff and I are committed to doing our best.”
The TTFA’s Technical Department worked with Spence to evaluate numerous candidates for the other staff roles. The selection criteria included prior experience with National Teams and active coaching accreditation. The group also looked at individuals whose resumes would have been received over the last 18 to 24 months.
TTFA is pleased to announce the appointment of the following members of Trinidad and Tobago Women’s U-17 and U-20 National Teams Staff:
Assistant Coach – Dernelle Mascall
Assistant Coach – Desiree Sarjeant
Goalkeeper Coach – Trevor Nottingham
Team Manager – Vernetta Flanders
Equipment Manager – Natalie Harper
The positions of Rehab Specialist and Strength and Conditioning Coach will be the subject of a future announcement.
The Women’s U-20 Team will be competing at the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship which is scheduled to take place in the Dominican Republic from February 25, 2022 to March 12, 2022.
Similarly, the Women’s U-17 Team will travel to the Dominican Republic to compete at the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship which takes place from April 23, 2022 to May 8, 2022.
Trinidad and Tobago, by virtue of being one of the region’s 16 top ranked Women’s U-20 and Women’s U-17 teams, have received a bye to their respective 2022 CONCACAF Final Championships. These Championships serve as the qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s U-17 and U-20 World Cups scheduled to take place later in 2022.
Regarding his first steps, Spence said: “To ensure we put the best possible team together, screening sessions will begin from next week. The plan is to conduct four days of screening over the next two weeks both in Trinidad and in Tobago simultaneously once we finalize discussions with the necessary stakeholders. We want to look at all possible players, giving each player an equal opportunity.”
“As we know we are in a very challenging environment with the pandemic, which brought football to a halt approximately 20 months ago. I am calling on the 12th man, to give their full positive support as we set out on this journey with our young women to represent our country to the best of our ability.”
Details for the Women’s U-17 and U-20 Screening will be announced soon. All interested participants can pre-register by completing the attached form via this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfR05TJf2hlY281vsrV0bFWEBj_VhpWEmCqfE1_Y7ts5juquQ/viewform
Please note that player eligibility for either team is as follows:
- Women’s U-17 Team – Players must be born on or after January 1, 2005
- Women’s U-20 Team – Players must be born on or after January 1, 2002