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Fri, Mar

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A new-look T&T Football Association has taken a bold approach in re-branding T&T’s soccer. And for many football lovers, the recent results of the several teams give credit to its development plans.

The Under 20s, as well as the national men’s and women’s teams have all shone recently as they prepare for their upcoming tournaments.

T&T’s women footballers amassed 22 goals among eight teams under the stewardship of American coach Randy Waldrum in the just concluded 2014 Women’s Caribbean Cup. Having won the tournament handsomely, the Soca Princesses will now square off against former world champions United States, Guatemala and Haiti from October 15 in Kansas to qualify for the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup to be held in Canada.

The Under 20 players, many of whom joined the senior team on September 6 in a one-all draw in the friendly against Guadeloupe’s national team, will be in a most comfortable position for the Caribbean Under 20 Championship to be played in T&T from September 12.

Several past players of the T&T Under 17 team, which missed out on qualifying for the 2013 Fifa Under 17 Men’s World Cup by one win, are now in the Under 20 squad and coach Derek King is confident of the experience his charges will bring with them to this tournament. So from a glance one can easily get the impression T&T football is way ahead on the road to recovery, following the slump after the 2006 Germany World Cup experience.

But there is more to be done. In fact, the perception that all is well is not what Sheldon Phillips, General Secretary of the T&T Football Association would say as he and TTFA President, Raymond Tim Kee are having their hands filled in keeping their plans on stream and breaking the curse which has plagued local football for several years.

Phrases such as “dysfunctional environment, limited vision, lack of accountability, and corporate perception that members of the present executive are Jack Warner’s acolytes,” are strong sentiments expressed by Phillips as part of the struggles hampering the TTFA from progressively forging ahead. Phillips’ mind set is unlike those who, as past administrators, wore blinkers to worldview leadership. And indeed he is in a position to justifiably harbour such thought processes.

Sheldon Phillips, the son of a former T&T national goalkeeper Lincoln Phillips, revealed that one of the main obstacles in effectively administering football in T&T is the culture adopted by some leagues which fail to understand the role of the TTFA (FA) as the governing body for football.

Despite being incorporated by Act of Parliament No.17 of 1982, a new drive to educate the public is now being initiated by the FA. One reason for this, according to the general secretary, is the large sums of money owed to the FA by regional associations and member bodies and the seeming disconnect in establishing the relationship between member association obligations and the FA being able to carry out its functions.

“This is what we have found coming into office and this is why I have made mention of operating in a dysfunctional environment and a limited vision of accountability,” Phillips lamented.

This Friday the National Under 20 team begins its quest for supremacy in the Caribbean Under 20 Championship when they take on Suriname at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, 7 pm.