Local Football

“[…] Dependency on global and regional football authorities, and government funds disempowers football leaders in these associations. Leaders often find themselves constrained by the conditions attached to grants or by the pressure to align with donor priorities rather than focusing on their country’s specific football needs. “[…] This dynamic can …

Arima North Secondary head coach Wayne Sheppard, St Augustine Secondary head coach Tacuma Jones and Fatima College manager Stephen ‘Bison’ Williams have called on the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) executive to overhaul its selection process for its All Star teams. Last Thursday, the SSFL executive, led by president Merere …

“[…] As coach Dwight Yorke noted following the Unity Cup, many of our local-based players are not yet ready for international-level competition. But this isn’t their fault. It is the result of a system that no longer provides the structure or support to develop top-level players here at home. “The …

Ace St Benedict’s College forward Derrel ‘Zoom Zoom’ Garcia was crowned the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Player of the Year today, as the governing schools body held its annual prize giving ceremony at the Couva Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce. Remarkably, Garcia finished as the SSFL Premier Division’s …

QPCC, Trendsetter Hawks, Ball Blasters Youth Academy and Pro Series snagged a trophy apiece as the 2025 Republic Bank National Youth Football League (RBNYFL) concluded on a dramatic afternoon at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Saturday 24 May. The Ball Blasters fell to a stoppage time winner from Pro Series …

“[…] Instead of relying on one-off screening sessions, the TTFA should establish a structured scouting network that monitors players across various competitions such as the Republic Bank National Youth Football League, the All-Star Showcase, and the City Cup. “Trained scouts would track players over the course of a season, evaluating …

“[…] Anyone who has gone through this process knows the folly of trying to select the ‘best’ 20 players out of 100s of young footballers who will turn up. Sometimes a gem has a bad day. Sometimes he is placed on a team with only strange faces and he hardly …

“[…] Two days ago, it came to my attention, via the TTFA Facebook page, that screening for U15 boys were to be conducted for Mayaro and the North Zone on 17 and 18 May. “This news piqued my interest and I began enquiring through the ‘grapevine’, on when the East …

“[…] Kaniel Davidson was more than just a player—he was the heartbeat of our team. A natural leader on and off the field, Kaniel brought passion, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to excellence that uplifted everyone around him. “[…] Off the field, Kaniel was just as remarkable: warm, respectful, driven, …

“[…] The government must do more than offer condolences. It must fund, support, and scale the grassroots programmes already working. “It must empower community leaders like Uncle Keron, coaches like Wayne Sheppard, and academies like Arima Araucans and Trendsetter Hawks who are giving these boys structure, purpose, and belief. “These …

“[…] Zwade Alleyne’s passing follows a senseless act of violence that has left us all grieving, outraged, and searching for answers… We mourn the loss of a young soul taken far too soon…” The following press statement on the death of 17-year-old Arima North Secondary student Zwade Alleyne was submitted …

Seventeen-year-old Arima North Secondary form five student Zwade Alleyne died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope, today. Alleyne did not recover from his injuries after being shot in the head outside of his apartment in Building 12, Maloney, by an unidentified gunman last Saturday. The gunman remains …