The premier league of
Trinidad and Tobago is called the TT Pro League. It was formally established in
the year 1999. The league is normally played from August until May. Most
matches in that league are normally played on Fridays and Saturdays. This is different
from other leagues in the world like EPL or La Liga where some games are played
on Sunday and sometimes in week days. It is very rare for the TTPro league to
be played in week days.
Before 1999 the competition
was known as Professional Football League. The reformation of the league from
Professional Football League to TT Pro League was for the purpose of preparing
quality national team players as well as to develop more football talents for
the local players. Currently the number of teams which participate is 8. This
few number of teams may be caused by the small population of the country
itself, I guess.
There are two domestic
trophies in the TT Pro League which are the FA trophy and the Digicel Charity
Shield. Digicel is a company which sponsors the TT Pro League.
In the TT Pro league there
is no relegation and also no promotion. At times the teams in the lower level
league can apply to participate in the TT Pro League. The next level below the
TT Pro League is called the National
Super League. To play in the TT Pro League does not result from promotion,
but an application should be made. Once the application is approved, the team
can play in the TT Pro League.
Trinidad and Tobago Squad ready for DCC cup in Jamaica.
Photo by: www.socawarriors.net
The level which is found
below the National Super League, are the premier divisions or first division in
the counties or zones. An Example is the Eastern FA Premier division with 9
clubs in total. The Tobago FA first Division have 13 clubs in total.
While the TT Pro League is a
full-time professional league, The national super league is just a mix between
amateur and professional playing.
The Trinidad and Tobago
Football association was established in 1908. Its headquarters is located in
Port of Spain in Trinidad. The TTFA joined FIFA in 1963 and CONCACAF in 1962.
The current president is Raymond Tim Kee. This organ is responsible for all
amateur as well as professional football competitions in Trinidad and Tobago.
In their long time world cup
dream TT tried to qualify in 1965 but was unlucky. Their dreams came up again
for the 1974 world cup, but after losing their game to Haiti, TT did not
succeed for the other time. In the 1990 world cup, TT needed only a draw in
their last match with USA, but they only saw USA washing away their
expectations after they defeated TT by a goal to nil. After waiting and
struggling for so long, in 2006 it became possible for them to fly all the way
to Germany.
Trinidad & Tobago VS Mexico in 2012 Olympic Qualifications Highlights.
The TTFA also supervises the
youth teams of U-17, U-1, U-21 and U-23. This is probably the main cause as to
why TT had a remarkable team which participated in 2006 world cup. It is also
very interesting to see their women youth preparatory teams which are the U-15,
U-17, U-19 and U-20. This is a very good base for the strong women team for
Trinidad and Tobago.
The current champions of the
TTPro league are the Defence Force FC. Defence Force FC finished at the top of
league tables with a total of 46 points and winning 14 games in total. T&TEC
Fc finished at the bottom with only 8 points. T&TEC Fc lost 17 games in
total, won only two matches and drew only 2 matches.
The top scorer in the
finished season has been Devorn Jorsling with 20 goals. Jorsling plays for
Defence FC. The second top scorer with
14 goals comes from North East Stars FC, a team which finished 4th in the
league tables.
Can TT produce other stars that
will put on the shoes of people like Dwight Yorke?
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