Pan, tassa on Women’s U-17 World Cup Logo

The emblem, which featured a tassa drum and a steelpan, will signify the two main ethnicities in Trinidad and Tobago. It will also be used to promote the second-ever FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup; the first one took place last year in New Zealand.

The specially invited guests at the launch were Ricardo Teixeira, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation and a quartet of top world players — Brazilian captain and defender Aline Pellergino, Canadian striker Christine Sinclair and the United States’ pair of goalkeeper Hope Solo and striker Tiffeny Milbrett.

Among the dignitaries who were present at the function were former President Sir Ellis Clarke, Trinidad and Tobago’s lone Olympic gold medallist Hasely Crawford, national football team coach Russell Latapy, TT women team coaches Pellerud (Under-17) and Jamaal Shabazz (Under-20) and Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs representative Margaret Farray, who also spoke at the event.

FIFA vice-president and special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) Jack Warner revealed that the Hyatt Regency Trinidad will be the main hotel for the players and officials at next year’s competition, which will run from September 5-25, while other major hotels within Trinidad and Tobago will be utilised throughout the event.

“Next year, in September, the only World Cup which we will have in the western hemisphere will be this World Cup (in a country) of 1.3 million people,” he said. “That is why so much lie on the shoulders on the technical director of our national Under-17 team Even Pellerud.”

Warner issued a call for the public to render assistance for the tournament to be a success.

“I want to ask all of you to keep the faith, to understand that the success of this event cannot be achieved by the Federation only, cannot be achieved by the Government only, but can only be achieved by the collective efforts of all of us.

He also made a plea for the private sector to “come on board and make our burden so much lighter” and to the general public for “whatever you can give, whether in cash or kind, whatever advice you can give, whatever you can do to make this team successful, to make this event a success as it must be, I ask you tonight to give us.”