In Trinidad and Tobago, community football clubs often operate far beyond the realm of sport. In neighborhoods where violence, poverty, and social challenges persist, these clubs represent more than just a place to play. They are sanctuaries where young people find discipline, mentorship, hope, and sometimes even salvation. For many …
Read More »Shem pleads guilty to conspiracy to smuggle firearms; family says US judicial system “loaded the deck”
Sport administrator, businessman and football coach Shem Alexander has pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago”, according to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office. The outcome of the case was verified by Alexander’s family in Trinidad and Tobago, although both …
Read More »Dear Editor: Girls’ football development should start in primary schools—not in High Performance programme
“[…] If we were really serious, the powers that be would have engaged the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sport about having PE teachers educated on introducing and coaching girls at the primary school level. “[…] We seem not to have the patience or appetite to do things correctly, …
Read More »Nine years since TTFA started its elite/high performance model, is T&T’s youth football better or worse off?
On 25 July, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president Kieron Edwards suggested that “progress” was being made with regards to the country’s eligibility law, which would widen the pool of players available for the national football team. The TTFA, said Edwards, was “already putting systems in place […] with …
Read More »Dear Editor: Did TTFA breach own safeguarding rules with U-15 Boys troubling travel ordeal?
“[…] Safeguarding in youth sports does not simply mean preventing abuse; it encompasses a proactive commitment to avoid all unnecessary physical or emotional risks for children. “[…] By dividing travel into separate groups, often hours apart and involving exhausting overnight layovers, the TTFA created circumstances where proper adult supervision became …
Read More »Another teenaged Arima footballer, Kimani Dyer, shot dead
Seventeen-year-old former Arima North Secondary football Kimani Dyer was shot dead this morning off Demerara Road in Arima. Dyer and Keeshawn Edwards were both killed while a third colleague, Jaden Singh, was also shot. Dyer, who was from a poor family and lived in Mt Zion off Pinto Road, Arima, …
Read More »Dear Editor: What every parent, coach, and young athlete should know about OSD
“[…] Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) is an overuse injury that affects the tibial tuberosity, which is the small bump just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon of the quadriceps muscles attaches to the shinbone. “It’s most common in children and teens between 10 and 15 years old, during periods of …
Read More »The Keston Julien comeback story; ex-T&T star resumes action after two-year break
“I have a story to tell,” said 26-year-old Trinidad and Tobago left-back Keston Julien. On Saturday 1 April 2023, Julien sprinted forward to get on the end of a counterattack for his employers, FC Sheriff Tiraspol, in an away fixture against Zimbru Chişinău when his knee gave way. “It felt …
Read More »Theobald quits ‘Army’ job; Defence Force appoint Jorsling as interim head coach
The Defence Force Football Club announced the departure of head coach Densill Theobald, after an abrupt parting of ways today—just three weeks before their opening 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup fixture against Haitian outfit Juventus de Cayes at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. The 43-year-old Theobald, in his …
Read More »Justice for Shem: Supporters of extradited T&T sport administrator claim legal double standards
“[…] Shem Alexander, who remains in pre-trial detention in Florida, was arrested in Jamaica and extradited in November 2024—despite being cleared locally after a 15-month police investigation and without the indictment ever being shared with Trinidadian authorities. “Former Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s own public mention of being listed in …
Read More »Dear Editor: How to build fitter, smarter and more resilient athletes
“[…] One of the most common causes of injury in the preseason is the sudden increase in training intensity. Coaches must resist the common temptation to cram fitness into a short window. “[…] Coaches in Trinidad and Tobago must create an environment where players feel comfortable speaking up about pain, …
Read More »Dear Editor: TTFA should come clean on relationship with radio station
“[…] We have a national senior men’s soccer team funded by Fifa, the government (my tax dollars), and private donors that pays for radio announcers’ travel and lodging to cover their games on a radio station that broadcasts those games and sells advertising. “This scenario raises important questions about media independence, conflict of interest, and …
Read More »