Opinion
- Editorial- Commentary
Richard
Braithwaite:
Why
did the oil companies stop supporting sports?
Sportsman of the Year 2007 Stephen Ames began his
golfing career on the Pointe-a-Pierre oil refinery
course.
In his seminal book on the local petroleum sector,
A History of Trinidad Oil, George Higgins made
several references to the dynamic relationship
it had in developing sports in the country, especially
in the south. The association began in the early
20th century and has continued up to the present,
albeit at a significantly reduced level.
The extent of the relationship was seen in the
very names of the major sports clubs that emerged
from the south. Whereas in the north the teams
had names like Maple, Malvern, Colts and Casuals,
in the south the names of the top clubs reflected
the oil companies themselves - UBOT, TPD, Shell,
Texaco, Forest Reserve, Tesoro, Trintopec and Trintoc
(Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company, formerly Shell).
This was not a coincidence but a reflection of
the importance of sport in the corporate philosophy
of the time.
Higgins wrote that "every
encouragement, both financial and otherwise,
was given to sports.
Sports grounds, sports equipment and club facilities
were provided and the interest taken in the various
sports gave ample proof of the value attached."
Wherever the pioneer oil companies
established their operations, a sports ground
was never far
away. When a new oilfield compound was set up at
Groudon in southeast Trinidad, Higgins noted that,
in the 1930s several facilities were constructed,
including "three-storied offices, five barracks
for forty employees, eight large two-storied bungalows,
a fully-equipped mechanic's garage and a playing
field".
The construction of top-class sporting
facilities was one of the major legacies of the
pioneer oil
companies. For years they were among the finest
in the country. Many of them have since fallen
into a state of disrepair. In Point Fortin, there
was the Mahaica Oval, the nursery for some of the
nation's greatest footballers. Across at Fyzabad,
there was Goddard's Park, dubbed the "Acre" due
to the large space it occupied. Palo Seco had the
popular J.P. Schmaltz Velodrome, which was built
by Trinidad Tesoro; and of course, there was Guaracara
Park, adjacent to the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
In addition there were several smaller playfields
established by the oil companies in La Brea, Fyzabad,
Mayaro and Barrackpore. Many were surrounded by
tennis courts, basketball courts and even swimming
pools and some were the centre of community life.
In return, the communities provided
the passionate fan base for the various company-sponsored
teams.
Hundreds would flock to Mahaica Oval or Palo Seco
for events; and as recent as 1987 more than 10,000
spectators crammed into Skinner Park to see Trintoc,
the "Pride of the South", clash with
the mighty Defence Force in the prestigious FA
Cup final. (After 120 minutes of play, Defence
Force emerged victorious with a close 2-1 margin.)
Trintoc had 12 players on the national
squad at the time and most of them were full-time
employees
of the state-owned company. Former national stars
like Clayton Morris, Brian Williams, Dexter Francis,
Larry Joseph, Philbert Jones, Ainsley Weekes, Patrick
Geoffroy and Trevor Fredericks are still employed
with the company today, making their contributions
on the job and in their communities. Russell Latapy,
Leonsen Lewis and "Marvellous" Marvin
Faustin were also members of the powerful "Oil
Squad" in the late '80s.
It is in the development of the
sportsmen and women themselves that the local
oil industry has
perhaps made its greatest contribution. For instance,
it was through the Shell Colts, a youth development
programme in Point Fortin under Doyle Griffith,
that the talents of Leroy De Leon and Warren Archibald
were discovered. In track and field the Trintopec
Sports Club produced Ian Morris and a host of other
top athletes. Then there was the "Trintoc
Flash", quarter-miler Alvin Daniel, and before
that, the greatest of them all, Hasely Crawford
of the Texaco Sports Club.
Other top sports personalities
who emerged "from
the oil" include Stephen Ames, who began his
golfing career on the Pointe-a-Pierre course; Victor "Voot" O'Garro,
the basketball superstar from Point Fortin; and
Gus Logie who played with the Texaco Brighton Club
in La Brea.
Former national football coach
Edgar Vidale left his hometown of Barataria in
1958 to play football
and cricket for the Trinidad Petroleum Development
Company in Palo Seco. He continues to live in the
deep south and recalls that "in those days,
the oil companies had the best sporting facilities
in the country and they provided permanent employment
for outstanding young sportsmen. They were far
more supportive of sports than the companies today
and this had a great impact on community life,
especially among the youth. Many of the sporting
facilities they built have since disappeared while
the rest are in serious disrepair."
President of the Southern Football
Association Rudolph Thomas echoed Vidale's sentiments.
An executive
member of the Texaco Sports Club in Pointe-a-Pierre
for almost 10 years, he explained, "The predecessor
companies viewed sport as a key ingredient in community
relations and national development. They provided
facilities and sponsored events not only for the
employees' recreation but more importantly to promote
elite sport and top-class competition. That is
why the Texaco Southern Games always featured some
of best athletes and cyclists in the world."
These days many energy-sector companies,
except perhaps Petrotrin and NGC, seem to have
adopted
a different philosophy. One of the larger companies
recently advised the Southern Football Association
that they should desist from requesting assistance
since the company was "not into sport".
What a pity, given the social history of south
Trinidad and the rich sporting legacy created by
energy companies with vision.
Richard
Braithwaite ,
is journalist with the Trinidad Express.
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This
commentary was originally published by Trinidad Express, Thursday,
March 27th 2008. Petroleumworld
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