With the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Champions’ Cup, Pro League Championship, Courts Pro Bowl, First Citizens Cup, Toyota Classic and the prestigious FA Trophy titles all to play for this season.
He further explained that their pre-season preparation will of course be hampered by the budget cuts with no destination finalised just yet. Last season the Savonnetta Boys made one of their many trips to Brazil—their pre-season destination and whether or not they will travel there this year is still on the drawing board.
Over the last couple of years W Connection promoted most of their youth products into their senior ranks making a huge cut on their foreign imports—Brazil being their main source for talent. At the moment the club employs just about eight Brazilians inclusive of fitness coach Delfizo Antonio Pedro Jr and former utility player Jose Luis Seabra now appointed assistant coach to Fevrier which is just a shadow amount of what they had in their early days.
Another club holding back financially is the Jack Warner owned Joe Public. Managing director Daryl Warner explained that they have made some huge budget cuts for the 2009 season close to 50 per cent of what it cost the club last season—which was in the tune of $4 million.
However he too has big dreams this season as his club which will feature a new bunch of players along with the youngest coach in the League, Derek King at the age of 28 will look to a top three finish.
Joe Public finished fourth last season having to play one of the most demanding seasons with a small roster with the League, knockout competitions and Champions League all packed inside the 2008 season.
Warner has a sneaky aspiration which is to dethrone five-time First Citizens Cup champs W Connection and bag the FA Trophy title in 2009 after failing to defend it last season.
North East Stars, third place finisher in last season’s League run have pulled out of the League in 2009 because of financial strains.
Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA and St Ann’s Rangers are another two under-budget clubs, however, they have assured their fight in the struggle for survival. Caledonia AIA winners of the Courts Pro Bowl and FA Trophy titles last season may attract some sponsorship this season with the report that Russell ‘the little magician’ Latapy will join the Stallions’ roster in 2009.
Money makes the world go round and that’s a fact. For football, just like anything else, lots of money is needed. The January transfer window in the English Premier League saw a massive 250 million pounds plus, forked out. And no way can get anywhere close to that here in Trinidad and Tobago, not in this lifetime at least.
Despite the small money attached to the TT Pro League, the League is not as small as many may perceive it to be as it attracts players and interests from the wider Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia, United States, Europe and even Nigeria to name a few. We see the big bucks roll in and roll out of football but here in the local game teams squeeze their pockets in the fight for supremacy.
While the big boys San Juan Jabloteh, W Connection, Caledonia AIA and Joe Public target big prizes with small budgets, the underdogs United Petrotrin, St Ann’s Rangers, Defence Force, Ma Pau SC and Tobago United are gunning for upsets with their scanty budgets. 2007 debutants Police FC are back following their absence in 2008. The former Super League standouts are hoping to finish better than that of their 2007 result, finishing ninth, just ahead of Tobago United.
Meantime the Pro League are seeing promise despite the financial challenges faced by clubs as the league finds new interests in 1976 FC Phoenix and St Clair Coaching School both from Tobago and south based clubs FC South End and Marabella Flames. All four clubs are awaiting approval by the League that could possibly see the TT Pro League move from 10 clubs to 14 clubs, a major accomplishment for the League as it heads into its ninth season.
And while the clubs are facing financial challenges, the Pro League is also facing the problem of big dreams small budgets. Hoping to become one of the premier Leagues in the Concacaf region, the TT Pro League saw their Government subvention cut down to just $3 million for the 2009 season however, CEO Dexter Skeene are hoping for the impossible, big improvements with a small
budget.
The season is expected to begin with a Champions Shield followed by the start of the League Championship, the Courts Pro Bowl, First Citizens Cup, Toyota Classic and a Big Six playoff. The FA Trophy is also in there to close what is expected to be a gripping season with lots of interests as big dreams and small budgets clash this season.