Brentford and Saint Kitts and Nevis midfielder Romaine Sawyers loves the chance to help inspire fellow Kittitians when he travels to the Caribbean country.

The 25-year-old has featured for his country since 2012 and, being a Championship player, is seen as one of the biggest names.

Sawyers, who dedicates time to help Kick it Out, is keen to have a positive influence on people's lives and that was part of the attraction when he declared his allegiance to St Kitts and Nevis.

“It’s not a bad place to play football. It’s not a holiday but going there three times a year for free isn’t bad. It could be worse,” he joked.

“Joking aside, it’s enjoyable. They’re not the most fortunate country so to see someone like myself playing in the Championship gives a lot of hope to them out there and it gives motivation.

Romaine Sawyers celebrates his goal

“Making a difference to people’s lives is something that attracted me to it.”

At one stage though, it was uncertain whether he would declare his allegiance at all.

He explained: “When I was 14 they contacted West Brom to see if there was a link there. There was but, at the time, West Brom didn’t want me to make that step.

“In the 16s to 19s I was on a shortlist at England age groups. From the club’s perspective, as a commodity it’s better if you play for England as it adds value.

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“Once it got to the stage that I wasn’t playing first team games and I took that step.”

Being one of the smaller islands in the Caribbean Sea, Saint Kitts and Nevis have never qualified for the World Cup but the aim is to maintain a top 100 place and improve the calibre of opposition.

The Brentford star explained: “Their aim at the moment is to break into the top 100 in the FIFA rankings. It’s about maintaining that.

“We’ve got Armenia in June which we wouldn’t have attracted two or three years ago. It’s more about breaking boundaries.

“You think of Trinidad and Jamaica when you think of Caribbean football. Their teams are Championship or above. It’s bridging the gap between the top two and get up the ranking.”