Mr Nigel Grosvenor attended Trinity College from 1969 to 1974 and represented the College in football at all levels. Mr Grosvenor was one of the most skilful footballers to attend Trinity and together with the likes of Richard Chinapoo changed the public image of the College as a football force and laid the foundation for the College’s ascension to the secondary school football championship division.
In 1978, Mr Grosvenor entered the University of West Virginia on a full football scholarship and graduated with a degree in physical education in 1982. He was a stalwart for the University of West Virginia Mountaineers during the four years he played for them and he received numerous accolades as a player. He was voted to the All-Regional and All-Conference first teams on many occasions and he received the highest accolade in college soccer by being voted all-American once. At the end of his college career, Mr Grosvenor was offered the opportunity to play professionally, but declined because of family obligations occasioned by the death of his father.
In 1982, Mr Grosvenor returned to Trinidad and sought employment as a physical education teacher. His first call was at Trinity College, his Alma Mater but there was no vacancy. He found work in a private school at Mt. St. Benedict Abbey and later got the opportunity to join St Anthony’s College where he worked from 1983 to his retirement in 2018. During his tenure at St. Anthony’s, his role expanded from physical education teacher to include that of the football coach and Dean. However, it is as the football coach of the St. Anthony’s Tigers that Mr Grosvenor is best known. In this role as coach, he won nine national secondary school football titles, six at Inter-Col and three at the league level. In 2011 the St. Anthony’s Tigers played unbeaten, a record in the modern era of the secondary school football league(SSFL). In the 2007-2008 football season, Mr Grosvenor had the honour of coaching the national U17 team and took them to the CONCACAF finals. In 2009, Mr Grosvenor was credited with
coaching Diego Martin Secondary and bringing them up to the championship division of the SSFL for the first time. Unfortunately for them, that was as far as he could have assisted.
Mr Grosvenor’s success as a coach is made even more remarkable when one learns that he had never taken a coaching course or attended a coaching clinic. What then was the secret of his success? Mr Grosvenor insists that laying a proper foundation and creating a system were key elements. He groomed his players from form one and kept them playing together through all levels until championship division. In that way, the players grew together. They bonded, they understood each other and they developed a pride for the St. Anthony’s brand. As a coach, he was very close to his players. He became their psychologist, their mentor and their father. He was not afraid to ‘buff’ a player on the field and give him a hug after the game. His office was always open to his players. They could come during a break, during lunch, any time, to talk about football, personal problems, school work or anything and he would be there for them. His units were very close-knit, disciplined and fit. It took Mr Grosvenor 14 years before winning his first Inter-Col title but when that win came, the feeder system that he had created kicked in. Success brought sponsorship and led to more success and the rest is history.
During his tenure at St. Anthony’s, Mr Grosvenor produced a plethora of national players such as Kenwyne Jones, Carlos Edwards, Brent Rahim, Julius James, Yohance Marshall, Lester Peltier just to name a few. He impacted the lives of hundreds of young boys and gave them dreams and aspirations to become better persons.
Mr Grosvenor was acknowledged as one of the major football coaches in the SSFL when it hosted its 2015 Awards Ceremony. His major contribution to the SSFL was influencing the change of the league format from that of the Championship division to that of the Premier division.
Mr Grosvenor is now on contract to Queen’s Royal College (QRC) and most likely will end his college football coaching career there.
Undoubtedly Mr Grosvenor is an iconic coach unmatched by any in the history of secondary school football in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Trinity College Alumni Association acknowledges the achievements of Nigel Grosvenor as a mentor and football coach and proudly admits him into its Hall of Fame.