Arriving at the VIP Lounge of the Hasely Crawford Stadium I found the symposium under way with a registration table and some 50+ people in attendance. After signing up and taking my symposium package which included a paper by Brian Lewis and a notepad, I looked for an available seat and saw one Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips sitting at the back next to an empty seat seemingly going over in his mind what he was to contribute. A quick smile and shake of the hand and I was quietly listening to the proceedings with this great thinker next to me. Dexter Skeene was introducing Brian Lewis at the podium as the facilitator as I quickly scanned the room looking at the overall setup. There were two (or more) loud speakers controlled by the sound man in the back, a projector, wireless microphones were not in short supply as were a few laptops operated by the support staff who were busy taking note of all the material discussed. Kudos must go to CNC3 and WinTV for having their camera crews there for the whole day as I immediately hoped the entire symposium could possibly be made available to the public via ttproleague.com. I even allowed myself to think we could even go a step further and have the symposium streamed live over the internet with all the media tools on hand….with the right volunteers.
It was most apparent the majority of people who attended were involved in football on a daily basis, which was no surprise. A genuine love for the sport was never in doubt as people spoke freely but respectfully even when challenges were thrown out to stakeholders. Anton Corneal spoke about youth development and the challenges we face. He said that less than 15% of our football talent return to the country after leaving to pursue school. He also lamented the fact that young players were not being brought into senior teams as was the case in the past, and as a result, there was less incentive to excel and compete, instead becoming content with being superior to their peers. Corneal believed there were aspects of our history that could inform our current decision making as he pointed out that the diet of our society has changed where in the past home cooked meals were more the norm whereas today this is not always the case. In a follow up to his point about diet, one person said something to the effect that back in the day national footballers would get a box of Royal Castle at the association’s office after training. It would not be the last time the topic of fitness and diet would come up. Keith Look Loy was a man who came to the symposium ready to rumble. A transcript of his contributions would best do him justice but his assertion that society had changed and there was a need for government and corporate help was clear. When the mic was passed to him, he unapologetically made use of it…he contributed during the group sessions and did not hesitate when Dexter Skeene asked for volunteers for the work group. Other notable contributions came from W Connection’s David John Williams and Osmond Downer of the T&T Referees Association.
People were careful to mention all of the stakeholders when they spoke, cognizant that it would take the entire football community to move forward….coaches, players, administrators, referees, parents, and sponsors. It was noted that the stakeholders were becoming more organized by forming associations or on the road to doing so with the coaches, referees and players. What about the fans? It was a recurring oversight that made me more determined than ever to ensure supporters would have a place at the table. After all, we are the consumers, taxpayers and very members of the society sport is said to benefit. Of all the stakeholders, the fans are by far the largest group in number. This left me with no choice but to raise my hand as a volunteer for the Working Group charged with producing a report on the proceedings by November 10th to be distributed to all of football’s stakeholders, especially those who were not in attendance for one reason or the other.
The beginning of the symposium emphasized all the important non-technical aspects of football that may tend to be overlooked including organizational structure, professionalism, coherence, and an understanding of football’s role in Trinidad & Tobago society. Indeed this part of the conversation could involve even those who knew nothing of the sport other than it’s popularity and impact and perhaps future discussions would attract those who would otherwise believe this be left to the football pundits. Courtney Boxhill, a psychologist, was on hand to discuss the often-overlooked mental preparations needed for competitive sport. A gentleman who was the father of an Olympic silver medallist made an impassioned call for fathers to play a more significant role in raising their children as too often they are absent. I was impressed that a corporate representative from RBTT who dealt with sponsorship for schools football was in attendance, and his contribution was worth noting. I sat with him during a group session in the afternoon, which he moderated, and it was apparent he was genuinely enthused by the day’s proceedings and felt the answers to football’s problems were in this room. He said corporate T&T was willing and ready to do its part but negative headlines and controversy prevented this. As he said…football must get its act together.
The media has covered some of the juicier presentations dealing with the technical aspects of the game. Technical Director Lincoln Phillips, Coach Wim Rijsbergen, Keith Look Loy and Anton Corneal all made contributions that were discussed in the later stages of the symposium. People were able to ask questions and have a debate with the presenters, which often is not the case between those who may hold opposing views on sensitive topics. I paid a high price missing some of these presentations as I guiltily stole away to see Kenwyne Jones rise high above a West Ham defence to nod home his third goal of the season. My decision was a close call but the inevitability of his somersaults given his form was too much to miss and after all, I was just a fan who could easily stay under the radar.
Walking into the stadium is always a special feeling but something wasn’t right as I stared down at the field….big patches of mud around the goals and along the by-lines diminished any aura about the place and was downright worrying as I wondered how long it would take to repair this field as it didn’t seem suitable for international competition. If it isn’t taken care of during the rainy season what happens during the dry season? The pitch was playable but seemed more like the mangled mess you expect to see when an Englishman smiles. I put this out of mind and headed back into the VIP lounge for the afternoon session. There were 4 groups of about 6 randomly assembled people who were still in attendance working on answering some key questions that were introduced earlier in the day. There was a designated moderator to chair the discussion and a facilitator to take notes and make a final presentation. I tried to spend most of my time listening to what everyone had to say but again had to interject on behalf of the fans as I felt this critical part of the family was not being taken into account. Indeed anyone hoping to sell a product must understand the psyche and wants of their target market and this is where The Warrior Nation can now add to the discussion. Where was Touches, Patriot, Tallman or Flex when you need them….they were all better suited for this but duty calls and I was the one there. So I’m on the working grouping on your behalf amongst these giants in T&T football…I hope I can represent your views and add some perspective.
Note: The symposium took place on Sunday, October 21, 2007.