AFTER landing in rainy and frigid weather (four degrees Celsius) in England this week, Jaric Titans Sports Development Club administrators are scrambling to find accommodation for almost 100 children who were brought to compete in the Manchester International Easter Football Cup.
The event runs from March 29-31.
The young footballers are part of a large contingent from the Tobago-based club, which includes over 50 adults. A GoFundMe page was set up on Tuesday and at 7 pm on Wednesday, had raised around £3,535 of the £60,000 needed to provide shelter while in Manchester.
The public was also asked to donate to the club’s Republic Bank account.
In a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Jaric Titans coach Brian Browne explained the predicament.
He said, “I’m here to make an appeal to you, the public, for assistance. We’ve been planning this trip to England for such a long time and at the last minute, some plans and some commitments that were made fell through.
“We did come to England because we didn’t want to disappoint the boys that were training and preparing. They were excited to come, so we didn’t want to disappoint them.”
Browne said the flights had already been booked and the club “took a leap of faith” by going to Manchester without having their accommodation sorted out.
He added, “We are struggling for the cost of accommodation, so we are appealing to the public for assistance – any kind of assistance. However large or small you can give, we will appreciate.
“We are here with close to 100, 100-plus children; it’s a substantial amount but whatever little you can give will go a long way.”
Newsday spoke to Browne via WhatsApp call on Wednesday afternoon and he said there has been little change in the club’s circumstances since the post was made.
“People have been calling and contributing, but no major (change),” he said.
Asked what was the plan for accommodation before coming to England, Browne said, “The plan for accommodation was always to be at the...”
After pausing for a few seconds, he ended the conversation, saying he had a train to catch and asked that Newsday call him back by 9 pm (UK time). WhatsApp calls to his cellphone at that time did not go through.
Contacted on Wednesday, Sports Minister Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis said the club did not apply for funding either through her as Tobago West MP or her ministry.
“I know certainly, no promises were made by me as a matter of fact, no request for funding was submitted to my ministry from Jaric Titans.
“Interestingly, a couple years ago, when I first joined the ministry, I sponsored Jaric Titans. They were going somewhere in Europe to give youngsters the experience to play in a similar football initiative.”
She said the club applied for funding for the Manchester trip through the Sport and Culture Fund under the Office of the Prime Minister.
“They did not notify me, they didn’t ask for guidance, did not come to my constituency office...I couldn’t have provided any advice to them because I didn’t know.”
Cudjoe-Lewis said two
