Whats the Brief?

Several members of the Trinidad & Tobago world cup squad decided they wish to form a professional players union in Trinidad. They have completed much of the preliminary work already, and expect Shaka Hislop to become the figurehead for the union next year.

There is a professional league in Trinidad, but players do not have an association to help and advise them, and it is common for injured players not to receive wages and, in some cases, have their contracts cancelled.
This means that many young players leave the game early to take more secure jobs. This makes the world cup qualification by Trinidad & Tobago even more remarkable. Currently, 15 of the world cup squad play in the UK, but how many more future stars could Trinidad produce if the young players coming through were offered the security that players are offered in Britain?

In this, the centenary year of the PFA, the worlds oldest sporting union, it is amzing that footballers in some countries do not benefit from the same support and security that English based players enjoy. It is only when you talk to players who have never had union backing, that you realize how important it is to have a players association to back you. They ask for your support in helping to get this project up and running.

Together with Gillinghams Trinidad & Tobago players, Brent Sancho, Kelvin Jack and Ian Cox, the FPL is organizing an event to raise awareness within the football community and the general public, as well as raising enough money to fund the operating costs of the players union for the first year. The union should then be able to fund itself in the future.

We have been offered an opportunity by Hackney Empire theatre to host the opening night of the critically acclaimed play “Sing yer heart out for the lads”, a football based play which challenges both patriotism and racism, on Thursday 22nd March. This event will also be strongly supported by the “Lets kick racism out of football” initiative. On the night, there will be a raffle and an auction.

It is important to the Trinidad players that they raise their own money to fund this project, but in order to achieve this aim, we need your help and support. We expect that there will be a strong representation from London based footballers and personalities, and the event has been well received by the media, and we can expect some great publicity and coverage both before and after the event from television companies, radio stations, newspapers and magazines.

In order to make the event successful, it is important to get as much support as possible from the Trinidad & Tobago community in London.

Lets help Make History ....again
March 22nd,