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PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, March 10, 2022 - The
T&T Volleyball Federation and the University of
T&T have renewed their partnership with the
signing of a three-year Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) agreement until 2025 under
the theme ”One Volleyball”.
The signing of the MOU by T&T Volleyball
Federation (T&TVF) President, Daymian Stewart,
and University of T&T (UTT) President Professor
Prakash Persad took place at the Foyer of the
National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA),
Frederick Street.
It will be the second such MOU between both
entities and comes on the heels of the
conclusion of the first partnership signed in
2019 that ended mid-December last year.
Back then, the first MOU was signed by UTT's
then general secretary Aaron Pollard and former
T&TVF boss Mushtaque Mohammed, currently
president of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball
Association (CAZOVA), NORCECA vice-president and
executive member of the FIVB.
Speaking at the signing Stewart said, "The MOU
which begins from March 11, 2022, and runs until
March 2025 will cover the entire 2024 Paris
Olympic Volleyball Qualifying process as well as
the end of my term as an executive member of the
T&TVF."
He explained that "we get support from UTT in
terms of everything we do in terms of medical,
use of facilities, as well as all the support
services and when you have a national program
some of the things we have complained about over
the years about that have been missing like a
therapist and nutritionist but having UTT
partnering with us, we have access to these
things that we would normally go and purchase
because of the lack of or type of lack of
funding we have."
"So having the MOU is putting things in black
and white so in case Mr. Clement Imbert leaves
the job or the President leaves the job there
will be something there in writing that allows
this partnership to continue because investments
were made."
"To be honest we went to an FIVB World
Championship and it's on the back of UTT and the
Sports Company of T&T (Sportt), and it's because
of that support we get. Sometimes it's not
necessarily cash, but for years they (UTT) would
have paid coach Francisco "Panchee" Cruz salary
to coach our team, so it's really putting that
document in place to make sure it continues.
"We are very excited about the way forward
because. When you look back and see that we had
an opportunity of doing an entire journey from
zero to a World Championship, and now look back
and see what you can do differently so it
doesn't take 12 years again to qualify.
"In looking back we had a problem with our base
as we produce very talented athletes but the
numbers training on the national team and the
base is too small, so we have to widen the base.
To help with this increase in the talent pool,
Stewart announced that having had a consultation
with the local clubs, the establishment of the
12 Development Centers across the country will
see the clubs and the T&TVF recruiting the new
wave of talents via the schools and different
communities alongside Outreach Coachings
programs with the T&T Police Youth Clubs.
"And what we have done to attract new players as
well as to provide free training for the next
three months as it already sponsored by the
Office of The Prime Minister to the sum of
TT$105,000 while NORCECA is providing all the
equipment for TT$140,000 each year, so all the
parents have to do is to get their child to a
Training Centre which is close to them."
"We decided to broaden the number of centers
with the Covid-19 virus in mind as some persons
may be afraid to travel, but we have established
centers all across the country from Mayaro to
Port-of-Spain while the training in each center
will be duplicated as well."
The Development Centers will be located in
Port-of-Spain & Environs, St George East,
Caroni, North East, Victoria, St Patrick, South
East, and Tobago.
Stewart noted that as part of the programmes
players from the Development Centers will also
be targeted for national youth teams selection.
"To pick a national junior team now we are going
to have a Development Festival where each
Development Centre will have to come and compete
and the national selectors will be there looking
at the children and then we will bring the
talented players together to train and compete
as a national team, but the training and
development will take place out there in each
center."
"As an incentive from our research, there is a
saying that when you have an under-age national
team you get it correct ten percent of the time,
meaning ten percent of those athletes go on to
represent your national senior team because some
players have late development.
"So what we have done to avoid the politics in
the national coaching selection we will reward
the winning Development Centre coaching staff
with the national coaching appointment, so it
will not be in the national executive hands, but
will be settled on the court.
In saluting the establishment of the Development
Centers, Mohammed said the T&TVF had earned the
right to be provided with support for its
programs by the FIVB and NORCECA because of its
development efforts and achievements of their
teams.
Dickson, Nassier appointed senior team coaches
President of the T&T Police Service Social and
Welfare Association (T&TPSSWA) Gideon Dickson
has been appointed senior men's national
volleyball coach for the upcoming season while
Peer Nassier was named senior women/Under-23
women coach by T&TVF First Vice-President, and
former national captain Nolan Tash.
Both Dickson, who has served in the position for
numerous years and led the national team to
CAZOVA triumphs in 2010and 2014, and Nassier, a
former national junior, and youth men's coach
will work in conjunction with Cuban-born
Francisco 'Panchee" Cruz, the former T&T senior
women's national coach who returns in the role
of FIVB Development Officer after being at the
helm of the women's team for over a decade and
capturing no fewer than six Caribbean titles as
well T&T's first FIVB Grand Prix, and World
Championship appearances.
Cruz’s return was made possible through the
efforts of International Volleyball Federation
(FIVB) executive vice-president Mushtaque
Mohammed, a former T&TVF president, and UTT.
Cruz served as the national senior women’s coach
from 2005 to 2019 before picking up
Developmental duties in the Caribbean, only to
return as national coach in April 2020 until
last September.
Tash in announcing the coaches said it was
indeed a very exciting day for the sport of
volleyball with the experienced trio selected to
lead in their respective roles.
Mohammed, president of CAZOVA was full of praise
on the appointment of the coaches and urged the
local sporting body to strive to be sustainable.
Busy 2022 for national beach volleyball, indoor
teams
Looking ahead to the international season,
Stewart, a member of the CAZOVA Beach Volleyball
Commission noted that it is expected to be a
very busy year for T&T volleyballers both on the
beach court, and indoors as well.
According to the T&TVF boss, the local
federation will host two legs of the inaugural
Caribbean Beach Volleyball Tour, an Under-23
age-group competition that will form part of the
qualification process for the next Pan American
Youth Games.
Stewart noted that the T&TVF is working on
hosting one leg in both Trinidad and Tobago each
between August 19-21 and 26-28 with all the
countries in the NORCECA region eligible to
participate.
In addition, the T&TVF are hoping to take on the
mammoth task of hosting the Under-18, Under-19,
Under-20 and Under-21 Caribbean Volleyball
Championships all together which will crown the
region's Juniors (Under-21 men and Under-20
women), as well as Under-19 Men and Under-18
Women champions respectively.
All 14 members of CAZOVA are eligible to
participate in the Youth and Junior events which
are expected to take place at the National
Cycling Center in Balmain, Couva from July 22 to
August 2.
And finally, the staging of a Senior Beach
Volleyball Tour in T&T, but open to regional
players.
Internationally, T&T is expected to participate
in the NORCECA FIVB Beach Volleyball World
Championship Qualifiers in the Dominican
Republic (April 15-17) from which the top teams
for four places per gender to the June 7-19
Championships in Rome, Italy.
The Commonwealth Games is slated for Birmingham,
England from July 28 to August 8 and according
to Stewart, based on T&T's current ranking as
the highest English-speaking team for both women
and men in the CAZOVA region, T&T, will be among
the qualified teams as well as host a qualifier
for top-ranked teams.
In addition, T&T teams are also expected to
compete on the NORCECA Continental Beach Tour as
well as the CAZOVA Beach Volleyball Tour, with
dates and venues yet to be released.
In terms of Indoor competitions, T&T, along with
Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico are expected to
compete for one spot to the Nation League, which
replaces the FIVB Grand Prix while the CAZOVA
Under-18, Under-19, Under-20, Under-21, and
Under-23 competitions are all on the calendar as
well.
The Under-23 men and women tournament will take
place in Suriname, with all others carded for
T&T. Among those at the signing of the MOU were
T&T Olympic Committee president, Brian Lewis,
Ian Pritchard, Senior Manager Sports and
Recreation of UTT, Merlin Remy, T&TVF General
Secretary. |
