TRINIDAD AND Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) Technical Director, Anton Corneal, has indicated that the major step needed for the progression of the nation’s football is ensuring that the planning of outlined developmental plans be stringently implemented to foster quality development of coaches and youth players. He was adamant that financial strength was needed to put such measures into place.
“There’s always talk and talk leads to some amazing plans but at the end of the day, we need to implement these motives, with a strong financial structure and monetary backbone, to take our local game forward,” he stated. Corneal admitted that this process would benefit youth football, particularly primary and secondary schools football, as well as the education and certification of coaches, which would be utilised in the proper aspects of TT football. He also indicated that such implementation would be essential to touching the vast array of footballers, male and female, with emphasis on the Under-23 level.
Corneal alluded to the presence of future symposiums for coaches, similar to the one recently held at the Larry Gomes Stadium, which he said would now focus on women’s football, ex-female national players and the girls’ game in schools.
“We need to prepare the pathway for the ladies’ teams at all levels and get their coaches involved and updated. We need long-term and short-term development plans and we can instill short-term points to affect the immediate progress of the female footballers. The short-term plans will evolve to aid the long-term scope and top-notch coaching is a key factor here,” elaborated Corneal.
Corneal confessed that the likes of Bertille St Clair and Dwight Yorke would be reached out to for future symposiums as he felt that they still had a lot to offer local football, practically or in an advising manner. “We (TTFF) can’t comment on who we would be having attend these sessions for sure but the likes of Yorke and St Clair can still benefit us greatly in some capacity,” he added.
Regarding the reformation and revamped plans outlaid by former director, Lincoln Phillips, recently, Corneal relayed that the restructuring plans spoken of by Phillips are highly similar to the ones the TTFF and its current Executive Committee are using as their focussed strategy for positive change.
“All developmental programmes have common points and the one that Mr Phillips put forth is similar to ours, 75 percent roughly. There is no magic formula to get things right in football but we all have to work hard, persevere and we will get things right. All plans are valid and similar but it’s the implementation that we must be certain is above-par. Planning is nothing if the implementation is poor,” he divulged.
Corneal maintained a stance that concentrating on the non-elite aspect of the game was a major facet and that zonal, national and professional sides of the game are all interlinked and dependent on the proper infrastructure and foundation, which he also deemed fundamental and the benchmark to set the evolution of the sport in motion.
“Grassroots planning and community football are also severely important along with youth development and we cannot fall short here. To move forward, we need financial support and stability from the government,” he expanded. He confessed that the TTFF has been in discussions with the Ministry for necessary resources to retain all national teams in training and rotation for the foreseeable itinerary, as these funds not only develop the teams but are the insurance needed in appointing permanent coaches.
