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On January 26, 2015 W Connection FC of the TT Pro League (the first division in Trinidad and Tobago) signed two Canadian players: central defender/defensive midfielder Brad Beaumont (22) and attacking midfielder/forward Maleik Defreitas-Gray (19) to professional contracts lasting until the end of the 2014-15 season.
W Connection FC is one of the most successful clubs in Trinidad and Tobago’s soccer history. They have won the TT Pro League five times and have finished second five times.
Beaumont is 6 ft 1 and was born on March 24, 1992 in Scarborough, Ontario. He then lived in Pickering until age 4 when he moved to Courtice where he has lived ever since. He attended Courtice Secondary School from 2006 to 2010 where in 2007, the school allowed an "exceptional player clause" to promote Beaumont from the junior to the senior squad.
We recently caught up with Brad Beaumont to ask him more about the move.
RedNaton Online (RNO): Please tell us a little more about yourself.
Brad Beaumont: Growing up, I played multiple sports. Ever since I was young I looked up to my brother and wanted to be as involved as he was. I played hockey which helped me develop communication skills. I played basketball to help me work on team play and to realize how important positioning was. I like trying to understand the small details of what makes a good player and try and mimic them in my own game. I don’t remember the exact year but I remember playing for Ajax Rapids under Karen Michalicka and she helped make soccer fun for me again. I owe a lot to her and Frank Mitchell.
RNO: Have you finished your studies?
Brad Beaumont: Yes, I graduated from Saint Bonaventure University in May 2014. My time at the university was great. I was with them since the summer of 2010 and I was able to learn a lot. It helped me become closer with the community with a sociology degree. My time under Coach Mahler was good – he has a different outlook on the sport and I admired that. He taught me many skills about the game that I still use today.
RNO: How did you get contacted by a Trinidadian team? How is the level of play there?
Brad Beaumont: As I was finishing up my degree at school, a few of my housemates were looking at going pro as well so I trained hard and worked with them. During the summer I had come across an ex-professional and very good coach named Leslie (Tiger) Fitzpatrick. He helped train me and get my name out there. He’s a coach for Toronto Skillz Soccer Academy. The football here in Trinidad and Tobago has been good and a definite change in the pace of the game. The players use their bodies a lot more. I find that it’s a good opportunity because I get to see how players here play and read the game.
RNO: Was it a risk getting your university degree prior to signing your first professional contract?
Brad Beaumont: Obviously it would be easy to look back and say what I could have done and what I should have done but the way things have worked out with me have been a blessing with my friends and family always supporting me. I had opportunities to go right after high school on trials and nationally but my parents and I had decided that anything can happen and to have a sure thing under my belt as well as develop as a footballer is essential.
This was (and is) important to me because it’s all about obtaining the opportunity and taking advantage of it. There are so many talented players in the world that go unnoticed. I guess for me personally, football is a sport that is unpredictable. I could be on top of the world one day and the next lose it all (injury, not performing to standard etc). This way I’ll be sure to always support myself and my family.
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