Local Football

Former Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team player and national youth team coach Clyde Leon passed away last night following a heart attack, according to a press statement from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). He was 37 years old. Leon, who played as a deep-lying midfielder, made …

Trinidad and Tobago football is comprised of international teams, domestic leagues, zonal bodies, administrative support staff, coaching education and player development—all overseen by standing committees which report back to the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA). Some of those components have been laid low by the Covid-19 …

So far I have only touched on youth development from a ball manipulation and decision-making viewpoint. However, playing in competitive games non-stop can also hinder the physical development and health of players.  Again, the local adage that ‘the more you play, the better you get’ is misleading on this count. …

The following article, written by Lasana Liburd, was first published in the Trinidad Express on Thursday 4 December 2003—just four months after Jason Scotland’s arrival at Scotland Premier League (SPL) club, Dundee United, from Defence Force FC: “Coaches [of the national team] used to watch me and turn their face,” …

Youth development in Trinidad, simply put, consists of tournaments and competitions. The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Youth Pro League (YPL), Republic Bank Youth League, Next Level U-19 Tournament and Commissioner’s Cup are the main players in this arena.  I will use the SSFL as the starting point of the …

Uefa banked €3.25 billion (TT$26.7 billion) in commercial revenue for its showcase tournaments last year.  The lion’s share of Uefa’s money, €2.55 billion (TT$21 billion), went to the clubs that viewers switch on their television to watch. The Champions League, which involves 79 teams, got €2.04 billion (TT$16.7 billion) while …

The Eastern Football Association of Trinidad and Tobago is inviting football stakeholders, fans and well-wishers to contribute to a relief drive for St Vincent and the Grenadines to help the Caribbean nation recover after the eruption of La Soufrière volcano. Persons who wish to contribute can drop off water, rice, …

A question on The Burdie and Barney podcast during our discussion with former England Premier League and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop lingered long after that episode was over:  Have we been developing players? Or were we just blessed with talented players previously and, now, not so much?  At …

In October 2020, former Trinidad and Tobago national youth team footballers Isaiah ‘Mal’ Garcia and Jaheim McFee boarded a plane at the Piarco International Airport with the intention of becoming professional players in the Egypt First Division. Six months later, both young men are rooming with relatives in London and …

“[…] Can the stakeholders assist the government by coming up with ideas for sports to play during this period—even if it is just to allow for some level of training? “[…] This could be done by groups making an application to the respective Office of the County Medical Officer of …

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will hold a series of coaching webinars, beginning on 10 April 2021, under the banner of ‘Everybody In’, which will be open to all coaches from Trinidad and Tobago. The concept, according to the TTFA release, is part of its ‘ongoing efforts to …

“[The TTFA’s] associate members also need structural reform, especially for youth development. Every group does whatever it wants. Under-8s may play in 7v7 competitions in south Trinidad, but play 5v5 in the east, and something completely different in the north—each with different sized goalposts or field dimensions. There is no …