The tiny Caribbean island, with a population of just over one million, reached their first-ever World Cup finals following their 1-0 play-off win over Bahrain on Wednesday to go through 2-1 on aggregate.

FA Ambassador McMenemy hailed the victory, which came courtesy of a headed winner by namesake Dennis Lawrence, as a "fantastic result" for the country.

“I have no doubt that this achievement will transform the game over here, especially as it has to compete with cricket,” said McMenemy while in the Port of Spain to deliver an Elite Player Development programme.

“We were in the middle of the FA seminar in Port of Spain when Trinidad qualified and it was amazing to be amongst them, to see their joy and to start to understand what qualification means to this country.

“Earlier in the day, we had been hearing about the problems here, the lack of facilities and the competition football faces with cricket.

“But this historic result has completely changed the mood and brought new hope.

“Qualification should ultimately benefit the grassroots of the game here which is actually critical for the future of football in this country and across the region.

“Appearing at the World Cup will increase participation and interest in the game. It will create new heroes and role models which will give football development a new direction here.”

The International Relations department is running the seminar as part of its cooperation agreement with CONCACAF, aimed at assisting the development of football in the Caribbean.

The three-day seminar is being conducted by McMenemy, The FA's Player Development Adviser, Craig Simmons, and FA consultant Robin Russell.

The trio will be covering a wide range of issues including understanding the importance of player development and implementing the structures that aid this process.