The Nixons — football in their blood

JERREN and Kathy-Ann Nixon are like an everyday couple — young, vibrant and energetic. But when you look at them closely you can detect a passion they have that will never fade away — football. Like Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery (track and field) as well as Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters (tennis), both Jerren and Kathy-Ann ply their trade in the same sport, a sport they have pursued since childhood. The 30-year-old Jerren has been a standout at both senior and junior levels since 1990 while his 27-year-old wife has been a feature on the national squad since the mid 1990s. And, since their marriage on January 2, 1999 in their hometown of Sangre Grande, both have successfully combined sport and family life with astonishing results. According to Kathy-Ann, the pair knew each other from their school days, with Jerren starring for St Augustine Senior Comprehensive and Kathy for North Eastern College. While Jerren had a successful stint in Scotland and Switzerland, Kathy was a member of the CCC Net Shakers in the national women’s league.

“We met again during a Shell Caribbean Cup match at the Arima Velodrome (Arima Municipal Stadium) in 1997” said Jerren. And, as they say, the rest is history. Taking a look back at their careers, Jerren led St Augustine to the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) league title in 1989 and was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 team in the 1991 World Youth Cup in Portugal. That team was coached by Bertille St Clair, captained by Dwight Yorke and including past and present national players Angus Eve, Clayton Ince, Richard Theodore and Michael McComie. The left-footed striker excelled at the local level with the now defunct ECM Motown and, through the work of agent Majeed Mohammed, signed for Dundee United in Scotland in November 1993. His career continued at the international stage, becoming the first Trinidadian footballer to win a final’s medal in Britain after his club defeated Glasgow Rangers 1-0 to win the Scottish FA Cup in 1994. But he suffered a massive setback when, after a change of coaching personnel at Dundee Utd after the 1994-95 season, he was sold to FC Zurich in Switzerland.

Despite trial stints with Southampton and Watford in England, he remained a feature at Zurich until 2000 when he moved on to St Gallen, where he stayed until the end of 2002. After playing for the Zurich and St Gallen women’s teams, Kathy-Ann and her husband, as well as their sons Jerren Jnr (five) and Jerrell (two) returned home early this year and have now settled back to life in Sangre Grande. How do they cope with their children and their sport? “It’s hard,” said Kathy-Ann. “Sometimes I have to get a babysitter when we both have training and, at times, I had to bring them with me. But (as they are) getting bigger, I can bring them now and they can play with each other (on the sidelines).” Will they let their children follow in their footsteps? “As kids,” noted Jerren, “we have to let them explore and whatever they choose I’ll support them 100 percent.” The defensive midfielder is a member of Joe Public WFC, who finished second in the league stage of the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Football Association (TTWFA) 2003 season. Jerren, after joining North East Stars in August, has slammed 10 goals for the Sangre Grande-based team, who are currently third on the standings in the T&T Pro League. Both see themselves as role models for up-and-coming players with Kathy, a senior member on the youthful national women’s team, aspires to become a coach after hanging up her boots. Jerren, on the other hand, wants to keep on playing as long as possible, but is satisfied about the way his career has been proceeding so far.  And, he has one advice for those seeking to play overseas. “Most of the footballers here (in TT) are aspiring to play abroad but one must be able to adapt to the different cultures in order to survive”, he said. And there is no doubt that both Jerren and Kathy-Ann will succeed in their endeavours, at the home and on the footballing field.