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  • 2 years ago
The Tableland Sports Academy is benefitting the youngsters with a cricket and football programme that is being conducted by former T&T pacer Daniel St. Clair.

In part one, the focus is on football, with Vinod Narwani and cameraman Devon Parker heading to the southern part of the country to bring you more.
Transcript
00:00 It's all about creating a better life for the future generation, hence the reason for
00:04 the Tableland Sports Academy.
00:06 The academy started because members of the Tableland community wanted the youngsters
00:10 to put their energies in the right direction.
00:12 The man behind it all is former Trinidad and Tobago fast bowler Daniel Sinclair, who is
00:17 the president of the academy.
00:19 Added to that, he's the cricket and football coach.
00:21 All right, so our football program, we have been in operation for approximately four or
00:27 five years.
00:29 We started just before COVID.
00:31 We had some really good players coming out of the academy thus far.
00:35 But I think since COVID came around, it shut us down a bit.
00:39 And it's about approximately a year or so we're just starting back.
00:42 And thus far, we have some really good results.
00:44 As I said, we have two of our players going to play in Suriname.
00:48 They're going in a very short stint.
00:50 But I think that's good encouraging news for us going forward.
00:54 The football program has brought positive results, which means a lot to the 35-year-old.
01:00 For Sinclair, working with the children brings peace of mind, but the main objective being
01:04 to take the country forward.
01:06 Well, I think it's very important for sportsmen on the whole just not to be good at the skill.
01:14 But I think discipline is very important.
01:16 That's something that we really take seriously at the academy.
01:19 So in terms of respecting their peers and those sort of things, that's something we
01:24 take very seriously at the academy.
01:26 And we've been getting some really good feedback from the community, even though the teachers
01:32 from the Tableland High School as well, they really commend us for the work that they're
01:37 doing because a lot of students from the Tableland High School, they actually wanted to join
01:42 us when they see the great work that has been happening here.
01:45 In order for the young footballers to get to the top, it's not only about developing
01:49 their skills.
01:51 There are other things required, including working hand-in-hand with the coaching staff.
01:55 In terms of the physical work, we have had a program in place for the past four months
02:00 where again we do our strength and conditioning training.
02:04 There's a gym just about a minute from here, so we are looking to get the kids involved
02:09 in that.
02:11 And I think it's just for us to make sure that whatever we are doing, the goal is to
02:17 get them to the national team.
02:19 Many of the young footballers have improved their game while at the academy.
02:24 That includes the enthusiastic Josiah Barrington.
02:27 Well, since I've been here, I've been improving a lot.
02:30 And as the guy said, we train in sessions we had, but it's been very beneficial to
02:35 us and I improve our player by a lot.
02:37 Well, as I've been here for eight years now, and as I see myself in the future, probably
02:41 playing for TTFU even abroad.
02:43 In a subsequent sportscast, the focus will be on the cricket team at the Tableland Sports
02:47 Academy.
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