Woodbrook Playboyz TTFF’s official band

ANGOSTURA Woodbrook Playboyz Steel Orchestra is the official travelling band of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and the national team for their entire World Cup 2006 qualifying series and international friendlies. FIFA vice president Jack Austin Warner has taken this significant step to fuse the national instrument with our football. Warner who took the band to West Bromwich, England, earlier this month when Trinidad and Tobago outplayed Iraq 2-0 there, said he is making the band part of the touring party. And they will be off to Bangkok, Thailand for the international friendly there on July 10, then travel to South Korea on July 14. He said: “This is simply a way of promoting our culture, more so a national instrument throughout the world through our football.  “We are in the midst of a World Cup qualifying campaign in which our national team will have all eyes on them and all ears too and therefore, I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our football and steelpan together.”

Warner pointed out: “I am also arranging for the band to accompany the team to some World Cup matches.” He said: “This is a rare mix of steelpan and football and ultimately when we reach Germany, steelpan shall be there also.”  The CONCACAF president and TTFF special adviser commended Government Ministers Franklyn Khan, Joan Yuille-Willams and Eric Williams for coming to the game on Sunday and showing their support when Trinidad and Tobago shut out Dominican Republic 4-0 in their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying semi-final round. Warner said since the friendly international against Egypt in April, the team’s financial costs amounted to TT$2.2 million. “To date it has cost the TTFF $2.2 million to prepare the team and at this stage it’s a bit over our budget but hopefully, as the team continues to succeed things will take a turn for the better in financial terms,” he said.