Five youth Football coaches honoured

Five persons who have contributed to the development of Youth Football in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were on Wednesday, December 28, rewarded with plaques by the White Plains Soccer Association,{{more}} in collaboration with Campdonia/Chelsea Football Club of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The recognition ceremony was the brain child of Renrick “Scrambler” Alexander, a Vincentian who resides in the United States of America, and who is a youth football coach with the White Plains set up.

Ian Sardine, Dodrick Robinson, Keith Ollivierre, Seymour “Rollit” Waldron and Ralph Stowe were rewarded.

The tireless Sardine is considered the godfather of youth Football in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a role he has performed for close to thirty years, and still continues.

Currently, Sardine, also known as “the popsicle coach”, because he rewards the winning teams in his regular practice sessions with popsicles, is a former President and Vice President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation. Sardine is head of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Soccer Academy, and runs the System 3 Club.

Robertson, on the other hand, is not active anymore in the sport, but was a pioneer in the sport in the 1980’s in the South Leeward area, with the now defunct Mercury Football club.

Also from the South Leeward area is Ollivierre, who is a former national footballer.

Ollivierre is the fulcrum of the Campdonia/Chelsea organisation and is responsible for the current youth programme in that constituency. Ollivierre is also an Under-17 national coach, attending mainly to women’s football.

Waldron is a former national player, national coach, President and executive member of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Football Association and Federation. Waldron is the founder of the Rollit Soccer Clinic of the 1980’s, which is credited for the emergence of former national footballer Rodney “Chang” Jack, who played in the First, Second and Third Divisions of the English Football competitions.

Recently, Waldron’s focus has been on giving his opinion about the direction in which he wants to see the sport go in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The other recipient, Ralph Stowe, is a former national mid fielder and national Under-17 Coach, who is carrying out the youth programme on the Grenadine island of Bequia. Stowe is the head coach of the Bequia Community High School and is the second in command at the local cell of the Liverpool Football Academy, which operates at the Buccament Bay Resorts.

The presentation of the awards was part of a Football Festival, which took place at the Campden Park Playing Field. (RT)