Grovesnor new TT U-17 coach;

NIGEL GROVESNOR, who guided “the Westmoorings Tigers” St Anthony’s College to the Coca-Cola Big 5 and RBTT Intercol crowns, has replaced Ron La Forest as head coach of the national Under-17 squad.

And La Forest, who was coach of the Tigers during their unbeaten 2002 season, where they also captured both national titles, has been promoted to coach of the national Under-20 team. According to a release from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), the appointments were made by its executive committee last week. The U-17 squad will feature in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualifying series from September 15 to December 17 next year as they seek a place in the 2005 World Championships in Peru while the U-20s will be involved in CFU qualifiers from August 15 to December 15 next as they vie for a spot in the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.

Joining Grosvenor on his technical staff is Sean De Four (assistant coach), Winston St Clair (manager), Keston Davidson (physiotherapist) and Ricardo Stevenson (trainer). According to Grovesnor, “if you are a coach, the dream becomes one of getting the chance to coach a national team.” He continued, “now, after several years as a coach I have received this opportunity. This is a tremendous honour for me.”

On his future with St Anthony’s, Grovesnor noted, “Some people may be worried about this but I will put things in place to ensure that the ball keeps rolling.” La Forest has retained most of the staff he worked with during the CFU’s qualifying series for the 2003 World U-17 Championships in Finland, including manager Rudy Roberts, assistant coach Michael McComie, physiotherapist Terrant Vance, trainer Gilbert Bateau and equipment manager Ronald Franklyn. “This appointment is like a promotion for me  having worked with the youth team at the Under 17 level and I have accepted it in good spirits,” said La Forest, who presently serves as coach of Joe Public. “The players at this level are the ones I really like working with because their minds are still green and they are still keen to learn about the game.”