When it comes to trends, the neighbor islands are often followers, not leaders.

Football is no different. Oahu monopolizes the sports combines, camps and postseason all-star games, leaving neighbor island players to fend for themselves, taking the hit for flight, rental car and hotel expenses. That reality puts Valley Isle football players wanting to get better at a distinct disadvantage from their Oahu counterparts.

All Poly Sports founder Alema Te’o hopes to fill the void for Maui athletes by bringing his high-caliber football camp to the Valley Isle for the second year. The Maui Gridiron Football Camp returns Feb. 6-8 at Keopuolani Park in Kahului. The all-position camp is open to players in fourth through 12th grade.

Last year’s event, called the Maui Gridiron Classic, attracted more than 50 athletes, many from Waianae on Oahu. The two-day event was a combine the first day, concentrating on measurables such as the 40-yard dash and agility drills. The second day was skill development.

Te’o, who is head football coach at Alta High School in Sandy, Utah, said this year’s event is a camp only, no combine, focused on fundamentals.

“The goal is to help the kids get better for their team,” Te’o said in a phone interview. “Thursday’s (Feb. 6) session will be skills development. We’re going to divide them up into groups — offense and defense or positions — and then we’ll break it down with some 1-on-1, 7-on-7 work.

“Friday will be very similar, and we will be installing the offensive and defensive schemes, and Saturday will be more of a competition kind of deal.”

The cost for the camp is $150, and interested athletes can register online at allpolysports.com. The walk-up fee on the day of the camp is $200.

“It was good,” said King Kekaulike Athletic Director PK Higa, whose school hosted last year’s inaugural event. “I’m glad they are still doing it on Maui because Oahu saturates all of the major camps like (the GPA Showcase Hawaii) camp. So it’s good to have something on Maui.”

Higa said the price for the camp is very reasonable in comparison with other camps in Hawaii and on the mainland.

“That’s what you’re going to pay for a regular camp fee, and that’s excluding all of the air, lodging and ground trans, so I thought it was a good deal. Last year we didn’t have as many Maui kids participate, but maybe because it’s more centrally located this year, it will attract more players.”

The All Poly staff includes more than a dozen college coaches and contacts Te’o has developed since starting the organization in 2001. His NFL connections who are coming to Maui include former Indianapolis wide receiver Jeremy Kelley, Carolina Panthers scout Khary Darlington and Edwin Mulitalo, formerly with the Baltimore Ravens and now head coach at Southern Virginia University.

Also on the coaching roster is Leonard Peters, a former Kahuku star who played safety for the University of Hawaii Warriors from 2002 to 2005 and had a brief NFL stint before joining the U.S. rugby sevens squad.

The format for the Maui Gridiron Football Camp is no pads or helmets, and participants should wear football cleats and bring their own water.

“We have some great coaches coming, and I’m excited for the experience this year,” said Te’o, whose other NFL connections include his nephew Manti Te’o, the former Punahou and Notre Dame star who played last season with the New Orleans Saints.

The elder Te’o discovered the need for a camp on Maui three years ago on his way to the Polynesian Bowl all-star high school showcase at Aloha Stadium.

“The people of Maui wanted something they could call their own. It appears every time they go to Oahu, they get overlooked. They are not the big dogs over there, and they feel slighted,” he said.

“My thought was let’s create our own event with a focus on the kids from Maui … let’s try and do this annually so we can develop football relations over there. And from our network, at All Poly Sports, we’ll do whatever we can to help promote those kids. … In the end what matters to us is the kids walk away with a great football experience, and they are encouraged to do two things: No. 1, be better student athletes, and No. 2, serve your community.

“That’s the two big messages we want to share with the kids on Maui. Hopefully, our message can stick and it will mean something. We want to make sure that if we do this we put some roots on the ground and make it an event that every year the football community of Maui will look forward to.”

Rodney S. Yap has been covering Maui sports for more than 30 years. Email him at ryap2019@gmail.com.