Trinidad & Tobago

Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC) in Port of Spain is one of the world's most iconic cricket stadiums.

It is also home to the first purpose-built Sport for Life! education centre, which was constructed underneath the Duprey Stand.

With sponsorship support from Atlantic LNG, the centre contains an IT suite of 20 PCs plus a large break-out area. Each weekday, some 40 boys and girls from local inner-city schools attend the centre for a combination of cricket coaching on the outfield of the famous ground plus maths, IT and healthy lifestyle training. At weekends, up to 50 of those with a particular aptitude for cricket return for further coaching and matches.

The programme is directed by Sport for Life Trinidad and Tobago, a not-for-profit organisation. The Board is chaired by Kenneth Butcher, a former National Footballer and Member of Parliament and now Executive Manager at the Academy of Sport and Leisure Studies (ASLS) of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). TTASPE (the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education) provides the secretariat and overall project oversight with day-to-day management facilitated by Kumar Rampat former Regional development officer for WICB. International project management, PR, partnerships including ICC, WICB and ECB, sponsorship, including BoomBoom cricket, plus fundraising strategy is provided by Sport for Life! International.

The programme started in 2008 and was officially launched in March 2009 by Brian Lara, Oscar Prieto (CEO, Atlantic LNG) and Gary Hunt (then Minister of Sport, Trinidad and Tobago).

The programme has strong support from Queen's Park Cricket Club, whose CEO Lisa Abraham commented:

"The Management of the Club is very proud to be a small part of this venture and will continue to support in any way possible."

Ken Butcher, Chairman of the Board of SfL Trinidad and Tobago said:

"There are many children in Port of Spain with huge potential, but very limited opportunities. Sport for Life! gives these children a greater sense of purpose and the key skills they will need if they are to make a success of their lives."

Board:

Ken Butcher (Chair; Executive Manager, Faculty of Sports and Leisure, University of Trinidad and Tobago),
Donald Kelshall (CEO, Savannah Computing Ltd),
Mark Mungal (President, Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education –TTASPE),
Lord Richard Newby (Chair, Sport for Life International),
Glenn Maharaj (Senior VP Prestige Holdings & former PWC Senior),
Andre Collins (Secretary; Vice President TTASPE)

Sponsors and Supporters:

Atlantic LNG
Brian Lara
Microsoft Caribbean Ltd
Savannah Computing Ltd
BoomBoom Cricket; Peter Boocock