TT PREMIER LEAGUE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED
TT PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED
The official launch of the inaugural 2023 TT Premier Football League took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain on Monday.
It was announced by League Chief Executive Office Colin Wharfe that twelve clubs in Tier 1 will feature in a shortened season from March 10th. Those teams are AC Port of Spain, Caledonia AIA, Central FC, Club Sando, Cunupia FC, La Horquetta Rangers, Point Fortin Civic Centre, Police FC, Prisons Services, San Juan Jabloteh, Defence Force and W Connection. It was revealed that the season will be a shortened one if they are to fall in line with the CONCACAF season that will enable the top two teams to be registered in time for the CONCACAF playoffs.
Wharfe said there will be no promotion or relegation due to a truncated season which will mean that matches will be played at the weekends and during the week.
Following the shortened season that will end in June, the players and teams will resume action for a second time in September and in October for the first official full season with matches at the Moruga Sports Complex, the Mahaica Sports Complex, La Horquetta Recreation Ground and the Ken Cooke Ground (St James Police Barracks).
Minister of Sports Shamfa Cudjoe said the government is fully in support of the league but it will look forward to see organisers of the league and the clubs pull themselves together to become self-sustainable soon.
“It has been a long, long arduous road ahead of us with a lot of bumps. This is coming at a really opportune time and I am happy that there are so many stakeholders, you have at least 10 teams and another two suppose to come on board,” she said.
“I really wanted to show that the government is supporting football and the development of football in T&T and the development through football. We, as government, are being asked to support to the tune of $3 million per year for three years in the first instance, and my response to that was that FIFA has to put something in. And you have to market and promote yourself and conduct yourself in such a way to attract private sector support.
“That has happened for a really long time in a number of sporting disciplines, but in this day and age, especially with the experience you have in football, you should be able to conduct yourself in such a way to attract private sector funding.”
During his address, Wharfe stated, “Qatar 2022 is widely regarded as one of the best World Cups ever staged, the next one is already on the horizon and…. it will be held in our region….so we need to get our senior footballers ready for a tough qualification challenge. Locally, 2019 was the last season of professional and semi-professional football, hosted by the TT Pro League and Super League, respectively. Roughly three years later, we are elated to be here – at the launch of the long awaited, TT PREMIER FOOTBALL LEAGUE.”
A bit about the League…(The Football)
“This League has been approximately 18 months in the making. Its structure derives from the recommendations of a 2021 FIFA-led T&T Professional Football League Development Study. During the last couple months, the organising team, with the full support of the TTFA’s Normalisation Committee, the Ministry of Sport and Community Development, FIFA, Concacaf and the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago, has worked diligently to make this day possible. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for their efforts.
The TT Premier Football League (“TTPFL”) is the new, elite football League sanctioned and run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (“TTFA.”) It comprises two divisions: a Top -Tier and a Second-Tier. To be clear, professional and semi professional football, and their attendant benefits, are not new to Trinidad and Tobago, but the Association has deemed it necessary, at this stage in the evolution of the professional game, to assume direct responsibility and oversight for professional football.
The Top Tier division will have twelve teams
Top-Tier – AC Port of Spain, Caledonia AIA Limited, Central F.C., Club Sando, Cunupia F.C., Point Fortin Civic Football Club, Police F.C., San Juan Jabloteh F.C., Terminex La Horquetta Rangers Football Club, Prison Service F.C., Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force F.C., and W Connection.
“This season was shortened and packed to meet Concacaf’s deadline for the submission of Trinidad and Tobago’s Club representatives for the 2023 Concacaf Clubs Competition.Because of the truncated season there will be no Promotion and Relegation in the League’s inaugural competition.
“In June, following the completion of the League schedule, there will be a knockout among the teams comprising both the Top-Tier and Second-Tier.
“Subsequent seasons of the TTPFL are expected to run annually, commencing in September/October and ending in May of the following year. The first full annual season will commence in September/October 2023.
Games will be played at national stadia and other approved venues such as:
• Mahaica Sports Complex,
• La Horquetta Recreation Ground,
• Moruga Multi-Purpose Sport and Youth Facility, and the
• Ken Cooke Ground (St. James Police Barracks)
The Second Tier will include clubs pending the Club Licensing process and these will be announced in due course.
What does success look like? We have identified 3 areas:
• Taking the lead in rebuilding stakeholder trust in the local administration of the sport
• Re-engaging our players – current and aspiring, as well as the public
• Creating a platform, through a high level of competition, to assist in the development of our talent
The end-game of the above and other initiatives being undertaken by the TTFA being …… to get our players and teams back to their pride of place in regional football
Turning to the overall management of the league…(Governance)
The TTPFL has been planned and is being run and supervised by a four-member Executive Committee, chaired by me. The Executive Committee reports to an Oversight Body which comprises representatives of the TTFA, the League’s CEO, representatives from the participating Clubs, representatives of The Ministry of Sport and Community Development, the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago and independent members. Ultimate responsibility for the League rests with the Normalisation Committee as the Board of the TTFA.
The Committee has access to existing departments within the TTFA, for example, Competitions, Technical, Licencing and where necessary we have engaged external expertise. Concacaf and FIFA have also provided resources, advice and counsel.
Funding and Financial reporting
Funding is being provided by the TTFA through the FIFA Forward Programme 3.0,…for those not familiar 3.0 a Fund used to bolster football development of FIFA’s member associations…. the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, corporate partners and other sponsors. Clubs will be granted subventions from these funding pools, which they will augment with their own investment.
The finance department of the TTFA will provide financial oversight for the League. This will ensure that funds invested are applied to their intended purposes; including the payment of players and staff wages as well as that of other third- party service providers.
The FA will be the conduit through which a significant proportion of the funds will be received and disbursed, and where financial reports will be produced. The FA’s policies and processes have been recently updated to provide an appropriate framework for the recognition, measurement and reporting of the financial performance of the League.
Clubs have agreed to provide appropriately certified financial reports to the TTFA to account for funding that they have independently acquired and invested in their teams for the purpose of this League. This will assist us in quantifying the full cost of running the League, as we seek to refine and enhance the product over time.
Showcasing the League
It is no secret that a great product requires the support of a robust and well executed marketing plan, as well as clear, purposeful communication to ensure that the target audience is sensitized, informed and engaged.
Starting this week, we will roll out what we believe will be an effective marketing approach that leverages traditional media, digital media, engagement activities, and community building initiatives.
Communication will be frequent and free flowing with the aim of keeping the fans and general public in the know with regard to latest league and knockout updates, match results, and team standings.
A critical piece of the public-facing component is the establishment of broadcasting partnerships with the most suitable providers in terms of quality and reach. The objective here is to deliver top-quality television content and, with FIFA+ which has been dubbed “Netflix for football”, we have the opportunity to create and house streaming content on par with international standards and potentially reach an audience of millions worldwide. Details of these partnerships are being finalised and will be announced in due course.
I hope the above provided a good overview of key aspects of the League. In the coming weeks, more information on the League and our plans will be forthcoming, primarily via our social media platforms. As noted earlier, one of our objectives is to promote dialogue and engagement among the sport’s stakeholders, so we sincerely invite you to share your feedback with us,” Wharfe added.
Cudjoe said this is a new beginning for football, saying let’s “restore it to its former glory.”
Cudjoe confirmed that $3 million per year will be distributed for the first three years by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago
Cudjoe urged the stakeholders to run the league with the future in mind. “We hope that we would grow stronger, closer and united. Not for me, not for Mr (Robert) Hadad (Normalisation Committee chairman) not for chairman (of the Sport Company of TT) Douglas Camacho, but for these youngsters who depend on us for their growth and that is where the investment should be.”
Normalisation Committee Chairman Robert Hadad, while giving the vote of thanks, said he agreed with Cudjoe that the clubs must run their clubs honestly.
“We are listening to you (Cudjoe) and we are trying our very best to reshape the TT Football Association with the guidance of your good self and your ministry and your Sport company together with FIFA and CONCACAF.
“I want to openly thank FIFA for all their work,” Hadad said.
