Head coach Dion La Foucade of the La Foucade Footballing Clinic, is calling on the government for financial support, as he strives to help in the development of football in T&T. La Foucade yesterday concluded a one week long clinic, in association with the Manchester United’s Academy, for children ages five-18 at the St Mary’s Ground, Serpentine Road St Clair. The local coach said while the clinic was a success, he was unable to get a sponsor, which placed a heavy financial burden on himself.
He is appealing to the Sports Ministry and Corporate T&T to come on board the next time around, since he said this will only do good for the further development of the sport. Two United coaches Eamon Mulvey and Kevin Ward, who were also involved in the event last year, returned as part of the club’s international programme. Some 400 children from a wide cross-section in T&T, including the Youth Training Centre (YTC), attended the clinic which ran from December 14-19.
La Foucade said in addition to the youngsters being drilled in footballing skills, they were also taught to be disciplined and he feels that this will go a long way in the lives of the youths. In addition to the two foreign coaches, a number of local coaches were also involved in the clinic. Last Saturday the two United coaches held a one-day coaching seminar at the Cascadia Hotel, Cascade, however, La Foucade said he was disappointed with the turnout. “This was an opportunity for the local coaches to grasp styles and concepts from coaches at the highest level and yet still, many did not show,” he said.