TTFA General Secretary Sheldon Phillips announced today at the Petrotrin has come forward to support the Women’s National Senior Team by offering to host the the team in a live-in training camp which commenced on Thursday at its camp facilities in Palo Seco where head coach Randy Waldrum and his squad is now based.
“We are fully appreciative of the support given to the TTFA and our National Women’s Team by Petrotrin and this will go a long way in getting coach Waldrum and his team ready for the final phase of qualification. We’re looking to get the team over to the USA at least a week before its opening game against the United States also,” Phillips stated.
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Petrotrin, MYCard Sport partner with TTFA
By Ian Prescott (Express).
PLEDGE TO ‘PRINCESSES’
A $3million medical care plan, which covers players and staff of ten Trinidad and Tobago national football teams, and training facilities for the senior women’s national team in the build-up to their World Cup qualification campaign, are among the sponsorship deals announced yesterday by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).
And after boasting the TTFA are hosting tournaments, and that national teams are beating whoever they meet, TTFA president and Port of Spain mayor Raymond Tim Kee is urging other corporate citizens to partner with the TTFA in support of football.
“I sincerely hope that other corporate citizens who are looking and who read the newspapers, would wish to join this organisation (TTFA) as a demonstration of future interest in football,” Tim Kee declared.
It was announced that T&T’s women’s team, the Soca Princesses, had on Thursday entered a live-in camp at the beach facility of oil company Petrotrin, for two weeks intensive training in preparation for World Cup qualifying.
“An Arrangement is provided for access to the facility, room, board, transportation to the facility is provided as well to and from the facility to Petrotrin Velodrome,” TTFA general secretary Sheldon Phillip disclosed. “Access to the club, the pool, the gym certainly, so it really is an all-inclusive enviroment that is conducive to the teams preparation for CONCACAF qualification.”
The Soca Princesses are believed to have their best ever chance to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup at the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championships, which will automatically qualify three teams for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, while a fourth team also have a qualifying chance via a playoff.
The ‘Princesses’ will remain at Petrotrin’s facilities until October 4, after which they travel to the US, seven days prior to meeting two-time world champions, the USA, in the opening match of a World Cup qualifying series.
Plans are to possibly play a couple of warm-up matches before the tournament. “The plan is to take the team up to the US, very close to Kansas City, which will be their first venue for the tournament. And we are looking to have them in the US about seven days before the first match.”
However, yesterday’s major announcement by the TTFA was medical care for the Soca Princesses and all national footballers and staff under a MYCard Sport medical programme, specially designed for the TTFA by Medical Lab Group.
“MYCard Sport will invest $3 million over the next four years into the TTFA to ensure that all players, including the Soca Warriors and Soca Princesses, are at peak performance and health, while representing the red, white and black,”stated Lab Medical Group CEO Richard Ramrekha.
“It is designed to take care of the health of the (TTFA) footballers. All ten (national) teams will have this service free of charge. It is a card which will provide continuous medical care for the footballer through his life as a footballer,” Ramrekha added.
“We will essentially offer to all the footballers the free national screening programme. “It’s the cardio, the metabolic profiles, kidney function, lung function, ECG and all that,’’ Ramrekha explained.
MYCard Sport is also open to members of the public at a $299 yearly subscription. which covers medical and discount coverage at HealthNet Caribbean Clinics. It is available for purchase at all Lab Medical labs, Healthnet clinics, TT Post Shops and www.mycard.tt.
“In addition, all MYCard Sport TTFA cards sold will provide a $20 cash-back to the TTFA for youth and players development,” added Ramrekha.