The announcement of a Caribbean Premier League by Concacaf President Jeff Webb has been welcomed by TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene.
It was during the Concacaf Sports Summit 2013 in October that Webb raised the issue when he told guests that in order to improve the competitiveness of national teams from the region, a professional competition was needed.
Webb told the summit, “The Caribbean faces particular challenges when it comes to developing the game at a professional level. One of the main goals for the Caribbean has to be to develop a sustainable football league. It is time we make this happen.”
Former Manchester United and Trinidad and Tobago striker, Dwight Yorke, also a member of the Summit, is in support of the idea.
Yorke said that having a league in the Caribbean would “enhance” professionalism in the game.
Delivering on his commitment from the Summit, last Friday Webb said that task force members for the Caribbean Pro League will be named at CONCACAF’s next Executive Committee meeting on November 7 and 8 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“From inception, we in the TT Pro League have advocated that professional football is an important catalyst for human and sporting development in the region,” Skeene stated, and alluded to TT Pro League players from St Lucia, Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua, Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean.
“In the absence of a Caribbean professional league we have continued to provide an avenue for development and employment to numerous players from across the region,” Skeene added.
“In fact, the rise of countries like Guyana, St Lucia and Antigua can be linked to the TT Pro League.
“We afforded their players an environment with professional coaching, proper match facilities and an opportunity to earn a salary.”
Asked if the Caribbean Pro League would pose a threat to the TT Pro League, Skeene was not fazed.
“Football is an industry and for the business to grow in the region we need stakeholders and emerging institutions.
A Caribbean Premier League could provide improved opportunities to enhance the industry and compliment what we have been doing for the last decade,” ended Skeene.
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cftlmlf.com
Bridgetown, BARBADOS --- A significant moment in the history of Caribbean football is expected to take place in September 2015 as the Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL) announces the establishment of the newly, to be constituted, Major League Football (MLF).
The MLF is envisioned to be a professional football league in the Caribbean region seeing twenty (20) teams competing for the league title and over three million ($3,000,000.00)US dollars in prize money with a growth of up to five million ($5,000,000.00)US dollars after the first three (3) years of implementation.
This exciting news comes a week after it was announced by CONCACAF that a special Task Force will be established to ascertain the viability of a professional league in the Caribbean; and the MLF is optimistic they will meet that criteria.
After years of planning by the Directors of the CFTL and its partners; the Chairman and CEO of the CFTL, Chris Anderson, said that the time is now for such a league. Anderson believes that his company is the best institution to implement such a league in the Caribbean because of its non-political agenda and knowledge of the Caribbean football system.
We have been doing ongoing evaluations and due diligence exercises throughout the Caribbean since 2002. The result of this analysis is what propelled us to embark on this endeavour, transposing our findings into a concept that makes the interest of the players our ultimate priority.
“It is all about football and not the politics of the sport. We welcome the Task Force and look forward to sharing with them our views on how best to achieve this league and provide our regional players with a source of revenue,” said Anderson.
This announcement comes after support (as it relates to the concept and structure) was garnered from both the President of CONCACAF Mr. Jeffery Webb and the President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Gordon Derrick, along with other heads of regional Associations/Federations.
“I have full confidence in both Mr. Webb and Mr. Derrick - two men whom I greatly respect and support, that they will help us to have the MLF up and running by our proposed start date in 2015.”
“Having reviewed the concept and engage in discussions with the parties involved, I believe the MLF will be successful and I am confident it will be a reality- which is excellent news for our regional footballers,” said the CFTL Chairman Chris Anderson.
One of the major aims of the MLF is to fast track the development of young players. This will lead to an improvement in the performance of Caribbean Teams, be they clubs or National Teams. It is hoped that this will result in more Caribbean Teams gaining entry into FIFA World Cup Competitions.
Serious discussions about the implementation of this venture have been going on for a while, with the MLF receiving keen interest from even outside of the CONCACAF region, namely; from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia with regards to investment and sponsorship in this new MLF Intellectual property. CFTL hopes to finalize the first set of commitments as soon as possible with announcements to be made within the next few months.
“This is a proud moment for all of us in the region as there will finally be a fully professional league in the Caribbean and our players and coaches can earn a living while participating in the sport they love. They also can feel comfortable in knowing that they don’t have to ply their trade all over the world and can be close to loved ones,” said Anderson.
The MLF will be operational for a nine (9) month period across a season between September and June of each year, with a break in February for one (1) month reserved for MLF Under-15 and Under-17 Youth Championship tournaments.
The first official competitive season would consist of scheduled games three (3) days per week: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, (all double headers) to be played in the four selected Countries/Hubs in groups of five (5) clubs per hub. The MLF shall organize, in addition to the regular season and its play-off Champions Cup titles, two (2) MLF All Star teams for annual friendly games at the end of each season to showcase the collective talent of the region.
About CFTL:
The Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL), a Division of Suncu Trading & Investment Group HK Ltd, Inc, is a new leading brand-building firm based in USA, Canada and the Caribbean. The firm will open new offices in various parts in the Caribbean from March 2014 onwards to manage and/or advise various Caribbean football associations; and by extension the CONCACAF region that have executed contractual agreements with CFTL and its equipment and uniform kit partner +ONE. Our Caribbean head office, located in Barbados, will implement and manage the MLF.
Some facts about CFTL:
We specialize in developing world class football brands, building Intellectual Properties, and brand building strategy, as well as re-positioning brands to achieve optimum leverage and market-share in an ever-changing and dynamic global soccer business environment. These objectives can be accomplished through soccer federations/associations, leagues, players, clubs and special events association. Our network comprises an exceptional international skills-base, operating in a virtual network through our media relationships.
Contact:
CFTL/MLF Media Team
Tel: +49 160 4819749
Email: media@cftlmlf.com
Url: cftlmlf.com