THE MISCELLANEOUS Group and the Football Seven Association, have brought teams from a number of areas in Laventille together, for a 7s Open Competition that will run until February 18 at Sogren Trace Grounds, upper Laventille.
Teams such as Miscellaneous Laventille United, which campaign in the Northern Football Association Premier Division, St Barb’s, Troumacaque, Brooklyn, Despers, Crecent, Gonzales, Sogren Trace, Mentor Alley and The Trace are all engaged in matches, which are played three days weekly with double headers under lights at the venue. Crowds estimated between 400 to 500 have attended games on each matchday so far.
The teams are competing for prizes worth $10,000, plus possible selection on the Laventille United first team to appear in the Northern FA Premier Division this year.
The fourth double header since the start on January 29, took place last Saturday with Laventille United going on a goal spree with a 7-0 victory over St Barbs, while Mentor Alley got past Gonzales 4-0.
For Laventille, Lyndon Ferguson notched a hat-trick, while Leon Roberts struck twice and Nickomi Griffith and Qualanson Archibald score a goal each.
Keston Hewitt, Kareem Baptiste, Akeel Jack and Nickomi Griffith got the goals for Mentor Alley.
Prior to Saturday’s double header, an Under-12 match comprising players from the Laventille United Academy also took place at Sogren Trace Grounds.
Former national youth team coach Ken Elie is the technical director for Laventille United. He is also using the tournament to scout for possible new additions to the Laventille team for their NFA Premier Division campaign this year. Miscellaneous, partnering with the Hearts and Minds Programme, hosted a previous tournament at the St Paul Street Recreation Ground in August/ September, from which players were used to form the Miscellaneous Laventille United team.
“The power of one is effective in Sogren Trace.
The founder of Laventille United is Cedric Hazelwood and his ideas for Laventille have brought us here for this occasion,” Elie said on Saturday.
“This is what we will like to see in every community in Trinidad and Tobago. We have kids from two year old straight up to parents and grandparents at the group supporting football. The community is alive and well.
There are so many other things these people could be doing at this time but they are here supporting the football and persons from what was once gangs rivaling each other are here to support the games. Football has a life of its own and this is what it does for a community,” Elie, a member of the T&T Defence Force, added.