A football boot that Marco Warren was designing before he died is now on sale in Bermuda.

Warren, a three-times Premier Division MVP, was captain of PHC when he passed away two years ago and at the time he was fostering his love of design with the creation of a boot.

While a prototype, which he wore in his final few games, had been created there were modifications that needed to be made and his sister, Chelsea, a designer in her own right, took on the task to honour her brother’s memory.

“I didn’t want my brother’s dream to die with him so this had to be done,” Chelsea said.

“Marco had been working on these boots for three years before he passed. He loved designing and thought that this was something he could do that would be impactful.

“Through his design journey, Marco went to different people to survey them and get measurements of feet, concerns and learn what people wanted from a boot. Watching him put a lot of time and effort into it was amazing.

“In 2022 he got his first samples and he played in those boots, winning his final MVP award in them, and in a lot of the later videos we have of him he is wearing the blue or pink boots.”

A designer in her own right with her Uptimum Bodied store situated just outside Washington Mall in Hamilton, Chelsea was still grieving when an act of faith propelled her on the next phase of an exciting journey.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for my brand but to finish what Marco started means the world to me,” she said.

“The last conversation we had about the boots was only a couple of days before he died and he was getting tired of the process. Manufacturing can be a lot of work and he came to me on the Friday before he passed and he was telling me about the final minor adjustments he needed to make.

“When he passed we obviously went through the grieving phase and months went by but then I just kept thinking about the boots.

“Although I’d given Marco advice, I didn’t have any information or access to his things but when I took on the challenge I went into my laptop and I discovered he had already uploaded all of the details on to it. It was like it was ordained that me and my family were to finish this race for him.

“It was so bittersweet that his last message to the manufacturer was the day before he passed and included the final specifications needed for the boot, so it was just a no-brainer that we finished it for him.”

The boots are available in sizes from 2 to 11 and the hope is that 500 pairs of each colour (blue and pink) will be sold. Chelsea already has a successful range of Marco Warren clothes on sale and it uplifts her and the family when they see somebody wearing the range.

“It’s like an out-of-body experience, but when I see people wearing his clothing I realise that he is forever remembered and not forgotten,” She said.

"Marco is breaking barriers and he is not even here. My brother was about unity, brotherhood, looking out for each other and always making your community better.

“When I see people wearing his clothing range and in the future when I see people playing in his boots we know that it stands for something bigger, something wholesome and that is so satisfying.

“We have so much gratitude when we see people wearing his things and we are so thankful for the support and the fact that people loved him.”

At the time of his passing, Marco had an infant son, Vega, who is the main reason why Chelsea and her mum, Wendy Warren, took on this task

“It’s super important to us that Marco is remembered for what he did, especially for his son,” she said.

“When Vega grows up, we think this will help resonate to him who Marco actually was off the pitch. Yes, he was a football player, but he was so much more than that.

“It’s important to me to keep Marco alive. I’ve posted on social media that losing him did not mean losing his mission and we are going to run with that. I think it will be beautiful for Vega to know when he grows up that Marco’s family did not give up on his daddy’s dream.”

Anybody wishing to purchase a pair of boots can buy online at the Uptimum Bodied website or pop into the store, and Chelsea is hopeful that someone might step up to donate money for local youth teams to benefit.

“We would welcome any sponsors who would like to purchase pairs for a youth team or to sponsor a youth,” she said.

“We know there are people with money who may not want the boot personally but are happy to donate for youth players. There are a lot of children on this island who love Marco because of his involvement in various youth programmes, so it would be great to see them get some pairs.”