PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — With the grandfather law in full effect, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has intensified its overseas recruitment drive aimed at attracting eligible footballers to their national teams.

The TTFA extended invitations to English-born footballers to join the under-17 and under-20 men’s national team residential training camps.

The players, who are currently attached to professional and semi-professional clubs in England, arrived in Trinidad on December 19 to train, live, and integrate with the local environment as part of the ongoing assessment process.

Those players who have arrived from the UK are Archie Lovatt (central midfielder, Southampton FC); Tate Ormonde (central midfielder/right back, Brighton & Hove Albion FC); Jashaun Christmas (central midfielder, Crystal Palace FC); Kayden Bancey (central midfielder, Reading FC); and Eden Ormonde (central midfielder, Welling United (Brighton FC pathway).

The camps run until the end of December, with players remaining in Trinidad for the duration. These players, along with a group from North America, have already engaged in sessions with Under-17 Head Coach Randolph Boyce and Under-20 Head Coach Marvin Gordon.

They have joined home-based players and US-based players already in camp, all vying for selection to the final squads ahead of the 2025 Concacaf Under-17 and Under-20 Men’s Qualifiers, scheduled for February and March.

Head of Overseas Recruitment Brent Sancho — who has been leading similar recruitment initiatives across the region, including with Grenada, St Lucia, and St Kitts and Nevis — highlighted the importance of early engagement and cultural immersion.

“This is about giving players a real opportunity to connect with TT, not just through football but through living and training here.

“We want them to understand the culture, the expectations, and what it truly means to represent the red, white and black. There is a strong pool of players overseas, and this is only the beginning,” Sancho said.

TTFA President Kieron Edwards underscored the strategic value of the initiative and the importance of continued collaboration with Government and key stakeholders.

“This overseas recruitment drive is not just about our youth teams – it is an investment in the entire football ecosystem of TT,” Edwards said.

“By identifying and integrating eligible players early, we are strengthening the pathway to our senior men’s national team and, by extension, creating long-term benefits for our women’s national teams as well.”

This latest wave of recruitment follows the recent passing of the grandparent law, which has expanded eligibility pathways for players with ancestral links to Trinidad & Tobago.

While some of the invited players were already eligible to obtain TT passports due to their age, the updated legislation has further strengthened the association’s ability to widen its talent pool globally.