St Ann’s Rangers, MIC-IT announce partnership

The first of its kind in the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League era, the focus of the partnership – which will initially run for three years – is geared towards allowing aspiring professional footballers an opportunity to continue their education and technical skills up to tertiary level and beyond.

As a result, the football club will now be called MIC-IT St Ann’s Rangers or simply MIC-IT ST AR ahead of the new 2017 Pro League season which kicks off in late May.

“(The partnership) is destined for greatness,” said MIC-IT St Ann’s Rangers general manager Jason Spence during the unveiling of the partnership recently at the MIC Institute of Technology headquarters in Macoya.

MIC Institute of Technology, an accredited institution which offers training to men and women from age 17 to 50, is an agency of the Ministry of Education Tertiary Education Division. Its mission is to be a catalyst for developing national technical and vocational competencies for competitive industries through quality training, innovation, manufacturing and engineering products and services.

The partnership will benefit players of MICIT ST AR Under-19 team, Women’s Team and the professional team.

Shem Alexander, Sports Specialist at MIC-IT, and close friend Adrian Romain were the architects of the MIC-IT ST AR partnership.

Alexander, a former midfielder at St Ann’s Rangers, said the partnership will be mutually beneficial.

He said the Sports and Mentorship departments along with the Marketing Division of MIC-IT are always committed to the new and innovative means of enhancing trainee life and helping to attract more trainees into their programme.

“Both MIC-IT and St Ann’s Rangers are fully committed in pooling our resources to achieve our goals,” added Alexander.

Alexander also said that Richard Fakoory, who co-owns the St Ann’s-based club with Richard Piper, was excited about the number of youths he would see turning away from a life of crime, but also be given the opportunity to be educated.

Anthony Streete, who led the Pro League outfit to an improved seventh-place finish last season, will continue as coach of MIC-IT ST AR for the 2017 season