Local footballers' union keeps momentum.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).
The Football Players Association for Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) is set to make its first deposit since its formation in 2003.
The English Football Players' Association (FPA) will donate (sign for pounds) 3,000 (TT$32,207) to FPATT in an effort to boost the fledgling organisation. The donation represents half the proceeds from a fund-raising play called "Your Hearts Out For The Lads" which was held at Hackney Empire, London, on March 22.
The play was staged by the PFA in conjunction with FIFPro and British anti-racism organisation, Kick Racism out of Football.
Kevin Harrison, a PFA financial adviser, acted as a middle-man between the English and Trinidad and Tobago associations and played a key role in its organisation. He explained that he represents the PFA members at several clubs including Gillingham, the employer of national players Kelvin Jack, Brent Sancho and Ian Cox, and decided to help after an approach by the Soca Warriors.
Jack, who attended the play, expressed his gratitude to the PFA.
"It is not a huge amount of money obviously but it is more than the zero we started with," said the Gillingham goalkeeper. "So we are thankful for the support we received. A lot of people in England are very interested and very supportive in us starting and we are looking forward to joining the other 42 nations who have a football union."
Harrison and Jack stressed that FPATT is unlikely to have an immediate effect on Trinidad and Tobago's professional players but should offer significant assistance for future generations.
"The main goal of the organisation is to help players prepare for life after football and to give them advice whether it is legal or financial," said Jack. "Football is a very short career and you can have a career-ending injury and no one in Trinidad is earning 50,000 pounds a week. So what will they do after?
"We want to help them do coaching courses or go back to school or look at different ways to help them provide for themselves and their families. This is not being formed to oppose the T&TFF. We want to make this crystal clear. We hope to work alongside the Pro League and the T&TFF."
FPATT came under attack last week when national goalkeeper Clayton Ince, who plays for English League Two club Walsall, chided the organisation for using his name without prior permission.
Harrison apologised for the oversight and said that the PFA has since sent letters to all Trinidad and Tobago players requesting their stance on FPATT so as to avoid a recurrence. However, he expressed surprise that Ince, who is a PFA member, would be so keen to distance himself from an organisation that wanted to offer T&T players the same benefits he received in England.
"It was probably just a lack of communication," said Harrison, "because the people who organised the event assumed that all the World Cup players would want a union in Trinidad especially as they are members of the PFA in England.
"It is strange that (Ince) would receive all the benefits of the union in England, so why would he not want the young players in Trinidad to receive the same benefits. We have now issued a letter to the (T&T) players saying that we are sorry if we got the wrong impression and to please indicate if they do not want to be involved."
Jack, unlike Ince, is one of 16 Warriors who threatened legal action against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) over 2006 World Cup bonuses. He is hoping for a smoother time in convincing local football authorities about the benefits of FPATT.
"We plan to contact the T&TFF and the Pro League in the very near future," said Jack, "outlining our plans and our goals, with the hope of developing Trinidad and Tobago football. We are quite confident that, when we put all the minds together, we will be able to go forward and hopefully continue to be there and thereabouts for qualification for future World Cups."
