The Miscellaneous Group and the Football 7 Association have brought teams from several areas in Laventille together for a 7s Open Competition that will run until February 18th at Sogren Trace Grounds, upper Laventille.

Teams such as Miscellaneous Laventille United, which campaigns 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 estimating between 400-500 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 29th, took place on 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 of players from the Laventille United Academy also took place at the venue.

Miscellaneous Laventille United before their game vs St Barb’s on Saturday

Former national youth team coach Ken Elie is the technical director for Laventille United but 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 has brought us here for this occasion,” Elie said on Saturday.

Some of the young supporters at Sogren Trace for the matches on Saturday.

“This is what we will like to see in every community in Trinidad and Tobago. We have kids from two-year olds 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 rivalling 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 added.

“One of the benefits of these tournaments is having senior players with potential putting their skill on display in front of the young ones and trying to improve and reach a higher level.The players of Laventille United are spread throughout the other teams and what this does is inviting other teams to send players to Laventille United in order to produce one product, a Laventille brand of football and a Laventille team. And what we are aiming to accomplish is to produce a Laventille team that will be a force to reckon with,” said Elie who is also a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.

Laventille United founder Cedric Hazelwood further thanked the Miscellaneous Group and its CEO Sham Mohammed for their wide input in the tournament and the support extended to the Miscellaneous Laventille United Team. He also thanked the Defence Force and Police Service for their ongoing support.

Action from the Under 12 match played on Saturday.