AT 53, Football Coach Troy Wright is still making a meaningful contribution to the development of School’s Football as Coach of Marian Academy’s U-9, U-11, U-14 (Boys and Girls) and U-18 Football teams.
Under the guidance of Coach Wright, Marian Academy has been very successful in nation-wide Blue Water U-15 girls’ championship, which is being played in all 10 administrative regions. This is the only school’s football tournament played for this year so far.

Marian Academy won the Region Four (G/Town) championship, and qualified for the national play-offs with an unblemished record of six wins in six games.
The Girls have scored 24 goals without conceding any, as Goalkeeper Sharah Revers and defenders Bently Hector and Cristal Patterson combined to keep the sheet clean in City zone.
Marian Academy’s Captain Kaleigh Todd, and Skylar DeNobrega have netted the most goals in the competition.
Todd, DeNobrega, Ella Fernandes and Ashley Walton have all been invited to the National U-15 trials.

Chronicle Sport recently caught up with the Rastafarian Coach while he was taking his charges through their paces at the YMCA Ground on Thomas Road.
Coach Wright, the only schools’ football coach to have won both boys and girls titles, informed that the ExonMobil U-14 boys and girls tournaments are scheduled to commence on Saturday.

“I have been coaching school football for 12 years, and I am a certified Football coach at all levels, from grassroot to junior senior level.
“I would like to see the development of school football having certified coaches at schools, so that the children could understand the game better; like the rules, technique and ball control.
“Because many schools do not have a coach, many children don’t really understand the game; they might have a teacher who might have an idea, but learning the right things from someone who knows what they are doing is very important when you are at such a young age,” explained Coach Wright.

The biggest challenge, he says, is to get the students to control the ball and keep on working hard, but there is plenty of raw talent around the schools.
“I got involved in coaching school football when my children started going primary school at St. Agnes Primary School, and their school won the championship in my first year as coach,” he said.
“I coached St. Agnes for six years, and in my first year, we finished sixth, but the next year (2016), we reached the finals, and lost to St. Angela’s 1-nil. I won my first championship in 2019, while my next title was with Enterprise Primary School in 2021.

“I won two girls’ titles; one U-11 and one U-15. Last year, Marian Academy reached the girls U-11 finals as the defending champion, and lost on penalty to Waramuni Primary School,” disclosed Coach Wright, who has developed a number of players, from grassroot to senior, that are now playing at the junior and senior levels.
Among Coach Wright’s students is the son of Guyana’s most successful First-Class cricketer, Captain Leon Johnson, who copped six titles in eight seasons.