Crown Trace FC and its coach Nicholas Griffith were both recognised by the Central Football Association (CFA) for their contribution to community football, on Saturday, at a football tournament hosted in his honour.
T&T Football Association (TTFA) president Raymond Tim Kee was at the Crown Trace Recreation Ground, where a five-team Under-16 tournament was played to recognize Griffith's recent achievement from the football's world governing body.
Griffith recently learnt via a tweet that he had won a new Kia as his story was named the winner of Fifa's The Power of Football competition, even though he did not enter it. The competition requires the entrant to write a story of a community-based team and its contribution to society. John Patterson, a teacher at Chaguanas North Secondary (whose football team Griffith is head coach of) wrote the story on Griffith's behalf, and won himself a pair of tickets to the World Cup in Brazil this year.
The story was read and voted on by persons around the world.
On Saturday, the CFA hosted the competition in his honour. His Under-16 team went on to win the Nicholas Griffith Cup, after winning each of its four round-robin matches without conceding a goal. The team's versatile centre-back, Jourvel Guadeloupe was named MVP of the tournament. Five teams, Crown Trace FC, Cap Off Youths, Las Lomas, Edinburgh 500 FC and Central FC participated.
The CFA, through its president Brian Layne, honoured Griffith with a plaque thanking him for his contribution to the youth of the Central zone. The Chaguanas Borough Corporation also handed Griffith a plaque acknowledging him for the "outstanding achievement".
Since his and Crown Trace FC's receipt of the Fifa award, Griffith has embarked on several fund-raising initiatives to held carry a full Under-16 squad from his club to a invitational competition in Canada, the Robbie Soccer Tournament, which takes place next month.