Over 150 youngsters from 12 primary schools took part in the two-hour exercise, as the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association took its Youth Football Community clinics to the Debe High School Grounds on Saturday.
This followed another successful clinic at the Palo Seco Government Primary School the previous weekend, where 200 kids took part in the session which was overseen by former national coach Muhammad Isa.
Thus far, the TTFA has staged clinics in Morvant, Blanchisseuse, Palo Seco, La Brea, Point Fortin, Manzanilla, Paramin and Debe where children are taught the fundamentals of the game and the coaches go about promoting a spirit of social interaction;helping to develop the mind/body connection, building self-discipline, confidence, leadership and coping skills. The youngsters are also taught about teamwork and respect for others and developing friendships.
Among the schools in the Debe area that benefitted from the training and provision of balls were Debe Presbyterian, Debe Hindu, Parvati Girls, Monkey Town Government, Picton Presbyterian, St Madeline Government, Debe Secondary, Penal Vedic, Suchit Trace Hindu, Pleasantville Secondary, Penal Government and Santa Flora AC.
The previous weekend in Palo Seco, the likes of Santa Flora Government, Santa Flora AC, Palo Seco Government, Beach Camp Primary Rancho Quernado Government, Eric RC, Erin SDA and Buenos Aires Government benefited. Annan Ramnanansingh, director at the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago has been assisting the TTFA in this campaign, and was particularly impressed with what he saw in Debe and Palo Seco.
“What I have seen here is remarkable and the efforts of the TTFA have to be commended. You see the youngsters being given opportunities and the sight of joy on their faces and the way they interact with each other is a great sign for all of us. It brings a level of satisfaction,” Ramnanansingh said.
“It is the correct way to go because you have the right people involved like Muhammad Isa and Mary Siu Butt who were involved in the past Stern John Skills Program and it is good to know that a national body as the TTFA has taken the initiative up front to show the other organisations that you have to go into the communities and do the basic groundwork. I must highly commend the Association for taking the flagship forward.
“Continuity and sustainability is important. We must have a holistic approach to these development programs and the leading stakeholders must mesh and come together for this to happen. Sportt is happy with this... my minister Mr Anil Roberts and Sportt Chairman Sebastien Paddington are please with the initiative and we are supporting it.
We have developed over 55 playing fields in Trinidad and Tobago and we see that the TTFA has the vision to make use of this for the development of the youngsters,” Ramnanansingh added.
The TTFA will continue its schedule of clinics in April, where the distribution of the Chevrolet indestructible footballs to schools and organisations will continue.