Miller to keep links with TTFF

Pro Sports Caribbean representative Peter Miller wants to continue making a contribution to football in Trinidad and Tobago.

He believes his current position in the United Kingdom is allowing him the right opportunities to make an impact. Miller, now serving as commercial director of Northampton Town Football Club, is also attached to Pro Sports Caribbean which has joined forces with UK-based Company Cre8. He was responsible for the recent tour to Birmingham by TT club, Superstar Rangers. Both companies are also working together on upcoming tours here by clubs from the UK. Next month, as part of the community project with Aston Villa FC, youngsters from Birmingham will visit Trinidad for a short stay. Reflecting on the recent trip by Rangers, Miller said he had five good years in Trinidad. “It was a proud feeling to see these kids over here. Their conduct was excellent. They had been preparing for this tour at least four months in advance with the Defence Force and we’ve seen the results here. This can only grow and be of a benefit to the country,” Miller said.

He said there is need for more appreciation to be shown those who have an impact on the game. “The impact of Dwight Yorke here is still amazing. He left and went to Manchester United and then to Blackburn Rovers but still every turn you make here at Villa Park, he’s still around in all the photos and stuff. “The disappointing thing that we have to work on back in Trinidad is how negative people tend to be. Maybe it’s easier to see the benefits of Trinidad looking in from a foreign country. Trinidad is a very marketable place. You have foreign teams wanting to come down and they don’t only want to go there and play football during the holiday but they want to go there and work in other areas as well. “ There has not been a good welcome in that concept by particularly the PFL clubs and that is something that we have to work on,” said Miller, who felt there was need for TT to recognise the efforts made by those who have flown the country’s flag abroad. “You see the significance of Jack Warner with what he has done wherever you go, now with the stadiums back in Trinidad you still always tend to hear the negative things. It’s the same with Dwight Yorke and the comments he gets from his own people back home. What he has done for Trinidad and Tobago is unquestionable. He’s still a superstar regardless of what people say, and all these are positives that we have to use.

He and the other players like the Shaka Hislops, the Stern Johns, the Russell Latapys, Marvin Andrews, Clayton Inces and Anthony Rougiers, the boys at Wrexham are all laying the foundation that can be of benefits to Trinidad and Tobago. “It was evident on this trip. Once people here find out that you are in some way connected with Dwight Yorke or one of the other players, they instantly want to help. It’s happened at Wrexham and Northampton particularly because they have players from Trinidad,” Miller said. “Northampton particularly want to looks at some of the younger players from Trinidad and while some people back there are being negative in their response, many others are being positive and we have to make the best use of this,” he said. The community projects with Aston Villa are expected to become a yearly event and east-based TT club 1st Santa Rosa FC, which is handled by Keith Look Loy, is carded to visit Villa next year.