Mr. Leslie Figaro stepped down as the President of the Trinidad & Tobago Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) at the Union’s Annual General Meeting on Monday, April 23, 2018. Mr. Figaro has been in the position for the past ten (10) years and saw rugby reach the pinnacle of sport administration in Trinidad & Tobago.
Mr. Figaro has steered rugby to becoming one of premier sports in Trinidad & Tobago, being one of the fourteen (14) sports under the purview of The Sport Company of Trinidad & Tobago (SporTT), which was a major achievement. He guided the TTRFU to become incorporated under the Companies Act and Rugby was narrowly edged out by Archery as the best performing administrative sport in Trinidad & Tobago in the Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award category at the 2017 First Citizens Sport Foundation Awards.
During his tenure, rugby has participated in every regional tournament organized by the Rugby Americas North (RAN) culminating with Senior Women’s 10s National Team defeating USA South to become Champions at the 2017 RAN Women’s 10-A-Side Tournament in Miami, Florida in July 2017. The TTRFU also successfully hosted two (2) RAN Men’s Under 19 15-ASide Tournaments in 2013 & 2014 and the RAN Senior Men’s & Women’s 7-A-Side Tournament in 2017 which drew plaudits from all in attendance.
The Executive Committee of the TTRFU is one of the few sports that meet on a weekly basis at 7:30 a.m. on Thursdays, emphasizing the commitment and dedication that Mr. Figaro placed on ensuring that the sport is properly administered and best benefits derived for the athletes.
He was always a hands on President and would be in constant contact with the major players, i.e. World Rugby, RAN, SporTT, Ministry of Sport & Youth Affairs, and the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) to ensure that the sport got the results.
Mr. Figaro will be surely missed by the rugby fraternity both regional and world wide for his charisma and steadfastness. We take this opportunity to wish him all the best in his future endeavours and are assured that he will be available to lend his support and advice to the new Executive Committee of the TTRFU.
Mr. Colin Peters, long standing Executive member, who started playing rugby in 1974 at San Juan Government Secondary School under Lou Barrow and representative of Police Sports Club, has been elected as the new President of the TTRFU with big shoes to fill. He has committed to continue the good work done by Mr. Leslie Figaro in ensuring that rugby remains as one of the premier sports in the country and has stated amongst his mandates, to continue the development of Women’s rugby and ensure that Schools rugby is spread throughout Trinidad & Tobago.
Mr. Carl Seymour, long serving member of Royalians Rugby Football Club, who started playing rugby in 1968 at Queen’s Royal College under Bill Bason, has been elected as the new Vice President. Mr. Seymour was one of the key facilitators in arranging with Ms. Hulsie Bhaggan for the recently concluded Strategic Planning exercise for the Union for the period 2018 to 2023. The implementation of the Strategic Plan will be one of Mr. Seymour’s mandates.
Ms. Maria Thomas, current Senior Women’s National Team Player and one of the winners of World Rugby’s Women’s Leadership Development Scholarship, is the Honorary Secretary.
Local rugby legend, recipient of the first T&T rugby scholarship and also San Juan Government Secondary School alumni, Mr. Curtis Nero, continues as the Honorary Treasurer and Mr. Karl Muckette, Lecturer at the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT), former Prison’s Officer and founder of Rydeus Rugby Football Club, continues as the Honorary Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.
Rugby continues to be the fastest growing sport in Trinidad & Tobago and it is the fervent wish of the TTRFU to have Trinidad & Tobago qualify for the 2022 Olympic Games.
Mr. Leslie Figaro
Leslie Figaro (L), Colin Peters (R).
(L to R) Karl Muckette, Leslie Figaro, Curtis Nero, Carl Seymour, Colin Peters, Maria Thomas.
