Lenford Singh Represents TCIFA at CFU Elite Youth Coaches Workshop
The development of a young footballer does not begin when they step onto the field for competition. It begins with the quality of the coach standing beside them, guiding their development and helping them understand what is possible.
For TCIFA Talent Development Lead / Coach Lenford Singh, that development is taking place on both sides of the touchline.
Singh is currently participating in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Elite Youth Coaches Workshop in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; a high-level development programme designed to strengthen and modernize youth coaching across the Caribbean.
The workshop is delivered within the broader framework of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) and Concacaf's continued investment in the development of coaches and young players across the region. It provides coaches with opportunities to expand their technical knowledge, exchange ideas with fellow coaches and engage in practical learning connected to elite youth competition.
Importantly, the workshop is being conducted alongside the CFU Boys U14 Challenge Series, allowing participating coaches to connect classroom learning with the realities of international youth football through live match observation and practical assessments.
For Singh, the opportunity comes at an especially significant time. Following the conclusion of the workshop, he will lead the Turks and Caicos Islands Boys U14 National Team as they travel to Punta Cana t to participate in the CFU Boys U14 Challenge Series.
The sequence is intentional: learn, observe, apply and lead.
Rather than simply preparing a team for a tournament, Singh will enter the competition having gained additional exposure to regional coaching methodologies and technical perspectives, knowledge that can be applied directly to the development of TCI’s young players.
“We cannot ask our young players to continually grow if we are not equally committed to growing the coaches who develop them,” said TCIFA Acting General Secretary Candia Ewing. “Lenford's participation in the CFU Elite Youth Coach Workshop is an important opportunity for him to learn and engage with other coaches at a high level, and then bring that experience directly into our U14 national team environment. What makes this particularly valuable is the connection between the workshop and the Challenge Series. The learning is not isolated from the competition. Coaches are able to observe, assess and experience the level of football their players will be competing in. That is exactly the kind of practical development we want to see within our technical pathway.”
As Talent Development Lead / Coach, Singh is an important part of TCIFA's efforts to create a stronger and more sustainable player development pathway. His work extends beyond preparing teams for individual competitions; it is about helping establish the technical foundation from which the next generation of Turks and Caicos Islands footballers can grow.
The CFU Boys U14 Challenge Series will provide TCIFA's young players with an important opportunity to compete internationally, experience the demands of regional football and continue their development as members of the national team programme.
