The Trinidad & Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) like the rest of the world, faced severe challenges in the past year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Union did its part to contain our country’s infection rates by following all the guidelines mandated by health officials which included not staging any official or unofficial games, practices or recreational play. As a Union, we recognized that this was for the greater good and as your President, I commend all our clubs and their executives for their responsible and purposeful leadership in this respect. I also must congratulate the fraternity for keeping our spirit of community alive despite our inability to play, gather or even lime. This truly shows that rugby people are a family with a strong culture beyond the fields of play.
In the “downtime” our executive, officials and members of the fraternity completed virtual training courses offered by stakeholders, such as World Rugby, Rugby Americas North (RAN), Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), The Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago (SporTT) and the Ministry of Sport & Community Development (MSCD). The result of this as well as many brainstorming and strategic sessions, is a more informed and skilled leadership ready to provide oversight to the return to the fields and competitions once restrictions are lifted.
The Executive Committee is aware that the grounds at the Queen’s Park Savannah require urgent rehabilitation and we are engaging with the Ministry of Agriculture to see how best the grounds can be brought up to standard.
The Union is in the process of finalizing the appointments of the National Technical Teams. This is to facilitate the smooth resumption of training to be prepared for regional and international competitions once restrictions are lifted. We have already appointed Technical Directors in the areas of Development (Vernlyn Ross), Men’s High Performance (Larry Mendez) and Women’s High Performance (Carlton Felix). It is hoped that these initiatives will help propel Trinidad & Tobago rugby back to the top in the region.
Look out for additional notices on all our communication platforms as I share some of our plans for the next two years. The next update will provide information on the progress made in securing an official home for the TTRFU.
In the meantime, please feel free to message me or any member of the Executive Committee with your questions, concerns, or suggestions. Your constant feedback and active participation both on and off the field is critical to the overall success of our Union.
