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Carolina Morace (centre) stands next to TTFA President David John-Williams, Vice President Ewing Davis (third from left), Vice President Joanne Salazar (second from right), Assistant Coach Elisabetta Bavagnoli (far right), TTFA Technical Director Muhammad Isa (far left) and Assistant coach Nicola Williams (second from left) following Wednesday’s Press Conference at the Ato Boldon Stadium Press Conference Room. Photo by Sean Morrison.
Typography

TTFA retainers for women footballers.

A little more than a month after being announced as the new Head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Senior Team, Carolina Morace was officially unveiled before the media at a Press Conference held at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Morace began work on the field of play with a training camp with the Women’s Senior Team on Monday at the Ato Boldon Stadium and was today presented to the public by TTFA President David John-Williams who relayed several plans for women’s football development in this country.

Among the items included a proposed retainer contract arrangement for Senior Women’s players and a series of training camps and international friendlies ahead of the team’s 2018 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign. There will also be ongoing training programmes for the Under 20, Under 17 and Under 15 teams with Morace to also be involved in grassroots and coach education initiatives.

Morace introduced her staff which includes English-born Nicola Williams who will be her number one assistant with the Senior Team and the head coach of the Women’s Under 20 Team while Italian Elisabetta Bavagnoli will also serve as an assistant coach along with other members who will provide support as members of the backroom staff. Manuela Tesse will serve as head coach of the Under 17 Women’s Team. Former national player Jinelle James will serve as the Senior Team Manager.

“All the teams will be related. It does not mean that all the teams have to play the same system which for us is wrong, but it will help the younger players be ready when they reach the senior team,” Morace stated.

She noted that the TTFA President was able to convince her to take up the new position to lead Women’s Football in T&T.

“He presented a good project, he showed me that he wants to develop the women’s programme and he believe in the women’s programme.We’ve started our first camp. The process was, first of all, to select (the) players,” she said

“We started with a physical test because we want to see where the players are at this moment. From that, we want to start our physical programme.

“In this country there is a lot of potential.There are many who are fit and that’s really important in football. We finished the test for the senior team. We are surprised because some of them are already at a very good level so they can just improve on where they are,” Morace added.

“This year we would not have any official competition so it will force us to get experience, to organise a lot of friendly matches, and to participate in some tournaments.”

Morace, 52, holds a UEFA Pro License and is a FIFA Legend Ambassador. She also holds a  law degree and coached both Italy and Canada’s Women’s Teams. She scored an astounding 105 goals in 15o appearances for Italy.  She became the first woman to be inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

The 34-year-old Williams is a former midfielder and ex-assistant coach for Australia’s National Women youth teams.  She holds an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Football Federation Australia (FFA) “A” Coaching Licence accreditation

Williams met Morace at the 2012 Women’s U-20 World Cup in Japan, where she was invited to an Elite Coaches Workshop . The pair began working together from then and following time at Juventus Academy Roma they established Perth’s only Female Football Academy.

Bavagnoli is a former Italy defender/ midfielder who also worked with Morace with the Italy and Canada teams. She made 80 appearances for Italy. She managed Lazio’s Women’s team and was also assistant coach for Italy’s U-19 Women’s team. She was Morace’s assistant when Canada won the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Bavagnoli acquired her UEFA Pro License badge in 2013.

John-Williams said there have been discussions for an international friendly against Ecuador in Port of Spain in March.

“I spoke to Carolina about it and she said we have enough time to prepare the team. Our initial thoughts was to play Ecuador on the same day as we play Mexico or Panama,” John-Williams said

“As I said, FIFA does not allow a curtain-raiser… we still have to get permission to see if we could play a double-header at that game. If we do get the permission from FIFA, it could be a bumper March,” the TTFA President added.

On the idea of the retainer contracts for players, he stated “Carolina is evaluating the players right now and she’ll shortlist (some) players. As soon as we get that shortlist, we’ll put things in motion for that.”

Some of the senior team players involved in the current training camp include Colombian-based goalkeeper Kimika Forbes, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Kennya Cordner, Karyn Forbes, Arin King, Liana Hinds, Lauryn Hutchinson and Tasha St Louis among others.

RELATED NEWS

Contracts for 25 women players.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).


Admitting that Women’s football was not treated fairly in the past, David John-Williams, president of the T&T Football Association (TTFA) revealed yesterday that his association is looking at contracting women players so that they will be full-time in the game.

New coach Carolina Morace is expected to provide a shortlist of about 25 players that will be offered the contracts. The TTFA will also provide players with a Code of Ethics programme upon accepting the contracts.

Speaking at a press conference to give an update of women’s football in the country the TTFA boss described the coming women’s development programme under Morace, as a holistic plan from which they will be pushing seriously at qualification of the country’s under-20 and senior teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cups.

However, he first had to answer questions on where his association would acquire monies to provide payments of the contracts, considering the financial burdens being face presently nationally and by his organisation.

According to John Williams it will be sourced from their budget funding exercise. “It is no secret that the TTFA is in a significant amount of debt, but there are certain revenues that are available to the TTFA that you are not allowed to pay debt and I am happy to say that the Women’s Concacaf Programme is the one programme that will finance the Woman’s Programme.”

He noted, “You cannot take Concacaf money to finance debt, so don’t get the misconception that we are contacting coaches and we can’t pay them. We have specific allocations, so therefore the US$125, 000 that we get a year from Concacaf, we have already decided will be put towards the women’s programme. So we can’t take that $125, 000 to pay John Browne who we owe for 15 years or 20 years and the public must understand that.”

He continued, “It is just about prudent management which this TTFA is all about. I am also happy to sat that Government has not given this TTFA a cent within the last five months and that is because of prudent management, fund raisers exercises, getting back our FIFA grant and channelling our money in a proper way.”

Logistics for the programme are being worked out presently John Williams said, noting that Morace will sort things out in addition to her other responsibilities. She will be assisted by three coaches Nicola Williams, Betty Bavagnoli and Manuela Tesse. The TTFA has also launched a search for other potential local coaches to work with the Morace and her team for continuity.

Meanwhile, the TTFA boss also announced that attempts are being made to lobby with the FIFA for the country national senior team to play against Ecuador in a friendly international after a match between Panama and Mexico in a World Cup qualifier.

“FIFA does not allow a curtain raiser in the World Cup Qualifier. It is our intention in one of the games between Panama and Mexico, to play the Ecuador national team after the qualifier against Mexico. We have already written to Ecuador in that regard to get a return match.

I spoke to Carolina about it and she said it is enough time to prepare the team. FIFA does not allow a curtain raiser, we still have to get permission to see if we can play a double header on that day, but if we do get the permission, it will be a bumper match” John Williams said.

Morace kicks off T&T’s development programme

It will be a blend of Italian and T&T football, new national Women’s coach, Italian Carolina Morace and her assistants Nicola Williams and Betty Bavagnoli have said at a press conference to give an update on the state of women’s football in T&T at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Balmian Couva yesterday.

Work on the development of women’s football began with a one-week camp at the Couva venue and TT Football Association brought back all the country’s senior players for it. Morace,who said she will be joined by another coach Manuela Tesse of Italy soon, said between 32- 33 players were chosen for the camp but it will not be closed to new players wanting to come in.

To date the players have been put through a physical fitness test which has impressed Morace so far, as she believes most of the players are at a level where they just need improvement.

“From this test we will begin our physical programme. I think from this campaign we have a lot of potential because there are very good athletes, fast athletes and that is important in football” Morace explained. She pointed out her assistants- Williams who will be in charge of the Under-20 team, Tesse who will be u-17 coach and Bavagnoli, her assistant on the senior team are all highly qualified with UEFA Pro License and will ensure that all the T&T teams will play the same brand of football.

“All the teams will be related. It does not mean that all the teams have to play the same system which for us is wrong, but it will help the younger players be ready when they reach the senior team.”

She boasted of being schooled at the best football academy in the world in her native Italy, saying they will put their experience against the T&T culture to create a good playing system for the teams. “A good system is where the two cultures have a match” Morace said while her assistants Williams and Bavagnoli described it as a blend between Italian and T&T football.

In addition to the national teams, senior, u-17 and under-20s teams, Morace has also been enthrusted with the responsibility to coach coaches, football education among the women and get the football development programme running.

The Italian coach, who successfully coached the Canadian Women’s national team to victory in the 2010 Concacaf Gold Cup said since the TT team will not be involved in any official competition this year, it will be important to get the players involved in international friendly matches for much needed practice.

Apart from the Trinidad players, Morace and her team will also travel to the sister-isle of Tobago to scout players for the team as well.

TTFA retainers for women footballers.
By Ian Prescott (Express).


TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO'S senior women footballers will soon be offered retainer contracts by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and may also get to play a revenge match against Ecuador, as possibly a second match to the March World Cup qualifier between the T&T men's team and either Panama or Mexico.

At a media conference yesterday, TTFA president David John-Williams revealed that the women's programme is now fully restarted under its new director, Carolina Morace, the high-profile former Italy and Canada coach who arrived here last month.

The new-look women's programme is funded by CONCACAF development money— so far comprising two instalments valued at US$250,000.

“One CONCACAF programme is going to finance the women's programme,” John-Williams declared. “We can't take CONCACAF money to finance debt.” The TTFA boss was also quick to address concerns that the Association was hiring high-profile international coaches while still owing money to several organisations and persons, including former national men's coach Stephen Hart.

“Don't get the misconception that we are contracting coaches and we can't pay them,” John-Williams added. “One specific allocation of US$125,000 a year, that we get from CONCACAF, is going into the women's programme.”

Revealing that the TTFA had received no government funding for five months, John-Williams said the association was able to keep its programme running by prudent management of international grants from CONCACAF and FIFA, as well as its own fund-raising activities.

He continued: “It's no secret that the TTFA is in a certain amount of debt. (But) there are certain revenues that is available to the TTFA with which you are not allowed to pay debts.” He further revealed that a list of players for retainers would be compiled soon.

Both John-Williams and Morace revealed that it took some convincing to get her to Trinidad and Tobago, but she was intrigued by the programme John-Williams envisioned.

The women's programme has been largely inactive since 2014, when the “Women Warriors” finished fourth at the CONCACAF Championship and qualified for a playoff berth in its quest for the final spot at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. But the T&T women lost a two-leg playoff against Ecuador, 1-0.

John-Williams also said the TTFA had already contacted Ecuador for a “grudge” international and was applying to FIFA for exception to allow the match. FIFA does not usually allow its World Cup qualifiers to be played as double-headers.

“I spoke to Carolina about it and she said we have enough time to prepare the team,” John-Williams said. “Our initial thoughts was to play Ecuador on the same day as we play Mexico or Panama. As I said, FIFA does not allow a curtain-raiser... we still have to get permission to see if we could play a double-header at that game. If we do get the permission from FIFA, it could be a bumper March.”

Morace also revealed two highly-qualified assistants. England-born Australian Nicola Williams has a pro licence, was assistant Australia U-20 coach and is both Morace's senior team assistant and national U-20 head-coach.

And Elisabetta “Betty” Bavagnoli, along with Morace, are among just three Italian women with a pro coaching licence. Bavagnoli has been a development coach with the Lazio men's team and currently works as technical director of another men's team. Bavagnoli will be here part-time as Williams' U-20 team assistant.

A third Italian coach will take charge of the U-17s and the lower teams.

John-Williams also announced a flurry of activity by other national teams. “We have an Under 15 team that is going to start training very shortly. Our U-17 team is training twice a week under Russell Latapy in preparation for the next U-20 qualifiers.

Our beach soccer team is preparing right now for qualification for the World Cup. There is a camp in Tobago and we will go to Barbados very shortly and then on to Guadeloupe. Our U-20 team is now in Colombia on a pre-tournament camp in preparation for the CONCACAF finals.”

Morace observing players in first week.
By Shaun Fuentes (Guardian).


It’s clear that Carolina Morace mixes no matters when it comes to serious preparations of a team. Her demeanour and her history in the game spells a no-nonsense attitude and approach to it all.

But the Italian-born has emphasised that her first couple of weeks on the job with the T&T players will be short of intense as she tries to get a feel for the women’s game locally along with members of her staff.

“The focus is the physical tests for the players. We looked at their explosive and elastic strength and the physical trainer has already said he is impressed with some of the players. It is more than technical and tactically at this early time,” Morace said.

“To judge the player, the have to have a good condition or in others words be fit. There is no distinction between a basketball player or a football player. We want to understand more about the players now and it is a lot about the nutrition, diet and the way the players rest as well,” she added.