Matthew Barnes undertakes his first assignment as Head Coach of the Turks and Caicos Islands Men’s National Football Team.

Matthew Barnes

In light of the Concacaf Nations League approaching, the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) has agreed with Matthew Barnes to guide the Men’s National Team as its Head Coach for the 4 qualifying games. Barnes has been involved in Coaching Football since the age of 18.  He has Coached at the Youth Level, and at the College Level.  During his time Coaching at Lubbock Christian University, he coached National Team Captain, Billy Forbes, and became aware of the football talent that exists in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In addition to his College Coaching experience, Barnes has Coached in the Premier Development League (PDL) for multiple years in various states in the USA including Texas and California.  The PDL is a proving ground for players looking to transition into the professional league in the USA (Major League Soccer) and this reflects his ability to coach and manage elite players as well as those needing to fine tune their football abilities. .

One of the most interesting things about being appointed to the position, Barnes says, is the fact that the Turks & Caicos Islands Men’s National Team currently sits in the lower half of the FIFA worldwide rankings. Although this could be a deterrent for some, he expressed that it is right up his alley, and in some senses, his expertise. Barnes has been very successful in providing support to struggling programmes at four Universities in the United States of America, and is also the helm of a very successful USL-PDL (Premier Development League) and NPSL franchise that made the PDL national semi-final two years ago, and the NPSL National Championship, this time last year.

Barnes’ approach to training the Turks & Caicos Islands Men’s National team, right now, is simple; and that is to lay a foundation for the future. “The islands are full of talented young players and giving them a stable platform for development is critical.  The modern manager is faced with a multitude of challenges including progressive training sessions, periodization on a team and individual level, personal wellness and personal growth, just to name a few. We will build a platform that addresses these issues and more, while at the same time developing pride in the fact that we represent the people of Turks and Caicos. Work, effort and commitment are non-negotiable and we will build a Men’s National Team programme that takes pride in that.”

 The CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying Matches are scheduled to kick off this September and continue through out March 2019. Turks & Caicos Islands will play its first game against Cuba on September 8th at Estadio Nacional de Futbol Pedro Marerro, in Havana Cuba. “I would like to thank the TCIFA Executive Committee for this amazing opportunity. I sincerely believe that this is one of the most well directed National Teams in the region. I see a lot of great things that can potentially happen here, and I can’t wait to get to work,” said Barnes.