Football came to Trinidad at some point between 1902 and 1908, introduced by a Scot, albeit technically a Diasporan one, Thomas Boyd. He was born in England, in Portsea in Hampshire, the son of John Boyd, a draper from Kilmaurs, and his second wife, Janet McTurk. With his first wife, Ellen, John had moved from Ayrshire to England and there they would have two sons. But Ellen would die young and John came North once more to remarry in New Cumnock in 1866 before returning South and there with Janet have three more children, of whom Thomas was the youngest.

However, the couple and the combined families would shortly after Thomas's birth in 1871 come back to Scotland and settle in Cambuslang. Indeed, that would be where John would be widowed for a second time, Janet dying, again young, in 1875, at which point the decision was taken to move once more, this time to Glasgow and Dennistoun. And that is where a still very young Thomas grew up and clearly became infected with the contagion that is football.

At what level Thomas played is unknown but he started work as a clerk in a flour mill. Certainly by the time of his own marriage in 1897 at the age of twenty-six still in Glasgow and to Margaret Thomson he was a Flour Salesman. Two sons would quickly follow, both born in Glasgow but the Boyd family clearly had something about them. Thomas's elder brother, James, would emigrate to Australia, to Victoria there to become both mayor of Port Melbourne and a Right-Honourable. And Thomas himself, and Margaret, also had ambition, which in about 1903 saw them leave Scotland for good and moving to the West Indies, to Trinidad and Port of Spain. There they would have three more children, all daughters, Margaret would die there in 1946 and Thomas follow her in 1950.

But, the meantime, Thomas had set himself up as a successful and much-travelled Merchant but not forgotten his roots. On arrival he is said to have found no football and no football equipment. He saw to its import. Certainly by 1907 organised matches were being played. In 1908 the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association was founded with him as its first President and his adopted islands continue to this day to be, job under-sung but well-done, a stronghold of "soccer" in a sea of cricket and incursive American sport.