UK support for football academy

Former Tottenham Hotspur football star Garth Crooks has pledged his support towards the establishment of a football academy in Trinidad and Tobago which he says will be supported by the United Kingdom- based Caribbean board. Crooks left Trinidad yesterday after a visit organised by the UK board and British High Commission to oversee a Referee’s Workshop which was conducted by well-known English Premiership official Uriah Rennie. The workshop was at the Dr Joao Havalenge Centre of Excellence, Macoya in association with CONCACAF and the TT Referees Association. Both Crooks and Rennie have been chosen to take part in workshops orchestrated here by the Caribbean Board which is an independent non-departmental public body set up to provide the UK government with independent advice to further Britain’s relations with the Caribbean.

Through the programme entitled “Caribbean Sporting Partnerships,” the Caribbean Board will be offering training and support to the region’s sporting institutions with the aim of developing athletes and coaches. The programme involves coaching exchanges and short-term scholarships. Crooks spoke on several matters including the need for an academy here as well as the importance of players giving “heart and soul” for their nation as he also touched on the topic of Dwight Yorke’s absence from the international arena. “There is a natural passion between the UK and the Caribbean for sport and this programme is about seeing how we can generate a greater relationship using sport as a platform to discuss tourism, commerce and security. “This particular trip has been successful with the referees’ course which has been fantastically attended. We have a technical expert from the association involved and already we have identified one or two who can move on to the next level,” Crooks said on Tuesday. This was following a meeting with TTFF officials during which he was accompanied by Coleen Harris who is chairperson of the Caribbean Board and current press secretary to the HRH Prince of Wales.

He mentioned that a coaching course involving several top UK black coaches including Viv Anderson, will be held in Barbados in February as well as administration workshop which is scheduled for July/August. “We want to see how we can raise the professional competence of administrators right across the Caribbean. It is being funded by the English government and I think that is a demonstration that they value the relationship between the two regions,” said Crooks, also a former Stoke City and Charlton Athletic player. On the topic of an academy which would not only accommodate football, but also other sports , Crooks said: “An academy that will harness the most talented individuals in the Caribbean is needed. We will hold further discussions on this. It was born out of the need to focus on the development of the youth from the age of ten come up.  It’s a wonderful idea and a great vision for youngsters,” he said. He said sponsorship for this venture will have to come from the local corporate sector with the  expertise coming from the UK. “There is an argument at the moment, particularly in Trinidad, that there is not enough direction, focus and target set for youngsters which leads to social delinquency. Who knows in five years you could get another Dwight Yorke out of your own academy,” he stated.