Participating kids of the T&T Sport Camps, Pinto Recreation Ground location, in Arima, received a special visit from North East Stars senior team coaching staff on Tuesday.
Head Coach Angus Eve visited the camp along with assistant coach Kendall Velox, goalkeeping coach Brian James and team manager Brian Bain on an invitation by camp coordinator and aunt of the late T&T footballer Mickey Trotman, Mrs. Llewellyn Wiltshire.
Trotman, a former national teammate of Eve, died in a car accident in October 2001 at the age of 26. Mickey’s brother Stephan and friend Tessa Moses also died in the accident.
“The Trotman's are very close to my heart because we played a lot with Mickey,” said Eve after conducting a session with the football kids.
“His(Mickey) family usually have this sort of camp or the summer camp put on by the Ministry of Sport. So when the invitation came to do this, I was only happy to do it for the memory of Mickey and what his family has done in the area, and also for the kids. I also do this type of thing in my village (Carenage) all the time. So if I'm able to do it in another village, I'm only happy to do so,” continued the North East Stars coach.
“Basically what we did is give the kids an introduction to football. We basically had fun games. In these sorts of camps you don't have footballers alone so you have to make it fun for the kids to want to be part of it. But the drills are also football related.”
“It was a very good experience because I don't really play football," said 13 year old camp participant Dianne Calderon. "I'm more a basketball person but I wanted to try something new and it was a very good experience. I felt very thrilled. It was very exciting [working the coaches].”
Eve, very familiar with the Pinto Recreation Ground having made regular visits for the annual 'Mickey Trotman Memorial football day', explained that his visit on Tuesday is also part of connecting the communities of football club North East Stars.
The 39 year old former T&T international and former Joe Public, Defence Force, Chester City and San Juan Jabloteh player went further in charity by promising a football boots to some of the less fortunate.
“It wasn't in the plan,” Eve said. “But when I came up I saw that a lot of the kids didn't have on the right footwear. I have a charity which is the Angus Eve Football Academy, which I always do stuff like these with support from my friends who are (abroad) and send back stuff to me.
“So I informed Wiltshire that I will give a box of about 30 pairs of boots which she will distribute because she would know the kids who would need it the most.”
The North East Stars coach also promised to make another visit on Wednesday.