Coach of the Soca Warriors Stephen Hart has joined the chorus of praises being sung for Sport Minister Anil Roberts, for his assistance to the development and new interest in local football.
Hart, who was coach of the Canada team, returned to his native T&T against all odds and has started a turnaround in the fortunes of the national team and has credited the Minister for most of the renewed interest and improved performance of the national teams.
"The Ministry of Sport and the Sportt Company have been supportive of the senior team since I have come on board. The players and myself are very grateful for their support," Hart said in support of the Minister.
His comments comes on the heels of similar comments made by former national midfielder Chris Birchall and defender Carlos Edwards. Also joining in the parise was general secretary of the T&T Football Association (TTFA), Sheldon Phillips who has described Roberts as a true friend of football.
Hart has been one of the bright spots in local football since coming on board under new president Raymond Tim Kee. Football in this country was almost down and out when Tim Kee took over and one of the major issues was financing.
Since then, Roberts and the Ministry who mandated proper checks and balances be put in place before funding, have lived up to the promise of creating the right financial environment for football, once the TTFA adhered to the Ministry's request.
The Soca Warriors are not only getting funding and other support for tournaments but also for camps leading up the major tournaments. SPORTT and the Ministry of Sport assisted the team during the OSN Cup and the Gold Cup, where the team performed creditably because according to Hart, they could have focussed on their game and not worry about things like money.
In addition, Roberts through his brain child the 'Life Sport' programme has been able to use national junior coaches to identify talent for the TTFA, as a number of young people who would not have gotten the chance before, are now getting involved in serious coaching with qualified coaches.
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