Chairman highlights the fact that the PFL continues to work tirelessly to build corporate image, brand equity and goodwill in line with the league's strategic direction.
T&T Pro league chairman Larry Romany is confident that the T&T Pro League has a bright future. Romany says in 2002 when the T&T Professional Football League (PFL), owned and funded by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, closed its doors many thought that professional football in T&T was dead.
But they did not count on the courage, vision and inspiration of the PFL clubs, interim chairman David John Williams and board secretary Wilfred Espinet, who all remained true to the dream of a viable professional football league in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to Romany, the Pro League has worked tirelessly to build corporate image, brand equity and goodwill in line with the league's strategic direction.
"We had to develop a marketing strategy on a step-by-step approach so as to be able to assess the identity and image of the league, develop a strategic plan, evaluate specific proposals and potential sponsors, analyse marketing opportunities and define target groups, in addition to determining the market mix.This allowed us to define the role of the T&T Pro league, its image .goals and objectives.
"At the end we were able to re structure the league to adequately meet the challenges of a professional sport environment.With the objectives of creating a league that was more entertaining for spectators, more interesting for the media, more fulfilling for sponsors and more competitive for players and coaches.
"In 2004 former national player and Columbia University graduate Dexter Skeene was hired to implement research and planning processes and manage the day-to-day operations.
"The T&T Pro League is now a properly structured business with managerial, technical and financial supporting systems that demonstrates the League's potential for sustainability as a nontraditional revenue generating sector that will encourage capital flows."
Romany admits that it has been a challenge and there still remains hurdles. However, a critical success factor is the fact that the people employed with the league are not "the same people with the same well-worn ideas that have not worked in the past.They are empowered to make decisions free of fear of making mistakes."
"In addition the attributes, the core values of the League equity, integrity, accountability, transparency, fair play, respect, enjoyment, commitment and democracy are at the centre of everything we do.There are no hidden agendas. Eery one works as a team, understands the League's vision as an organisation and are focused on finding solutions," said Romany.
"A paradigm shift was needed.The marketing plan called for a new logo incorporating the steelpan. The use of culture to create a unique and distinctive T&T atmosphere for the fans.
"We were lambasted by traditionalist who complained that the noise was a distraction. Today the Soca Warriors travels with a steelpan side and rhythm section."
"As part of a player centred approach former national captains and coaches were recognised and given T&T Pro League season complimentary entry to all Pro league events.
"The creation of knockout tournaments such as the Pro Bowl, Toyota Classic, Lucozade Big Six and retention of the FCB Cup were strategic responses to the market research."
"At the end of the day," says the Pro league chairman, "the T&T Pro League is about giving local players and coaches an opportunity to make an honest living and to experience the joy and fulfilment of following their own destinies and pursuing their football dreams even if those around them would prefer another course."
Romany observes that in T&Ts 40-year quest to get to the FIFA World Cup Finals there are many unsung and unheralded heroes such as the many coaches and players along the journey who have sacrificed their bodies, families and jobs in pursuit of T&Ts World Cup dream without financial reward or gain.
"I see the T&T Pro league as having a deeper purpose than solely football and football politics. It gives our abundantly talented sons a window , a door way to a better quality of life to earn a decent living for themselves and their families.It is about having respect for the efforts of the players and coaches and their earning potential."
As to questions about the quality of the players in the League, Romany points to the fact that in the current Soca warriors squad at least 18 of them have played in either the PFL or the Pro League at some time in their careers."We have players with good attitude and talent," Romany says.
Having said that Romany acknowledges that there need to be greater improvement in the standard of play.
"Developing quality players on an going basis is critical. Having security of tenure and working full-time at football allows the comprehensive development of the players and coaches to take place.It is an evolutionary process, the league is only three years old, well at least we'll get there".
Romany asserts that 2006 will be bigger and better. Sponsor interest is high and while the turbulent history of professional football in T&T is well documented the T&T Pro League is now poised for significant growth.He says this is a credit to the vision and courage of the clubs that remained faithful to the dream "did the hard yards and took the road less travelled".
In addition the Sport Ministry and sponsors such as FCB, Toyota, Lucozade, Sportflex, 95.5FM, Courts, KFC, Sports and Games, Petrotrin, NFM and Seven Seas and Unit Trust, understood the vision and were satisfied that the Pro League strategic plan was sound and provided financial support.
"A key aspect to this however is the fact that we did not make our approach on the basis of a request for a hand-out or that there was some sort of corporate obligation."