Nottingham Forest’s annual academy tournament will be held in memory of the late Derrick Otim.
The former Reds academy player drowned in July 2020 after taking a boating trip with friends in South Carolina. He was 24.
The tournament, held on the City Ground pitch, will be renamed the Derrick Otim Trophy and will raise money for his family. A date for the tournament will be confirmed in due course. Nick Marshall, a former Forest academy coach, has been fundraising for Derrick’s family. Now a coach at Liverpool, he told Otim’s mother about the trophy, saying she was left in tears by the gesture.
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"Not only was he a talented footballer but he always had a smile on his face and was always helping out the coaches,” said Marshall, reported the BBC. “He was just a joy to work with.”
Forest under-23s coach Andy Reid, who also worked with Otim, is helping to organise the tournament.
He said: "Everyone liked Derrick, he had an infectious smile so we were devastated when we heard what had happened.
"We already have an academy day at the end of the season, so the idea is to turn it into a tournament in his name, maybe invite a couple of other clubs.
"It's for Under-9s and Under-16s and we hope it will be a bit of a festival atmosphere, everyone having fun."
