In years gone by, supporting a football team was simple. You went to the match, cheered for your team and left the venue in a state of jubilation or disappointment. But the game has changed over time, and so have the fans and what unites them.
The T&T Pro League can tell you about this or local club football as a whole. What happened at the Queen’s Park Savannah (Port-of-Spain) decades ago, is from what club football experienced here, from the 90s to present.
But wait! There is one league that has carried itself the same way for years and while there may not have been 15,000 fans at the Ato Boldon Stadium (Couva) on Wednesday to witness St Benedict’s College’s triumph over Fatima College, the turnout of supporters was certainly among the larger attendance records in local football.
And the League has not done much differently than it has in years gone. Matter of fact, there’s been no paid advertising campaigns in the media on the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) matches. But yet, persons from different classes showed up to support either of the two teams in Couva, last week.
And yes, those from the North made the trek through traffic. And again, some may want to contest the strength of the league by comparing general attendance numbers in most games this season compared to the 1980s and prior, but it remains a fact, that no other league draws the quality of fan base as the SSFL. Are there ways to improve it? Of course, there are but that's for another discussion.
History, team identity and tradition!
In years gone by, supporting a football team was simple. You went to the match, cheered for your team and left the venue in a state of jubilation or disappointment. But the game has changed over time, and so have the fans and what unites them.
The T&T Pro League can tell you about this or local club football as a whole. What happened at the Queen’s Park Savannah (Port-of-Spain) decades ago, is from what club football experienced here, from the 90s to present.
But wait! There is one league that has carried itself the same way for years and while there may not have been 15,000 fans at the Ato Boldon Stadium (Couva) on Wednesday to witness St Benedict’s College’s triumph over Fatima College, the turnout of supporters was certainly among the larger attendance records in local football.
And the League has not done much differently than it has in years gone. Matter of fact, there’s been no paid advertising campaigns in the media on the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) matches. But yet, persons from different classes showed up to support either of the two teams in Couva, last week.
And yes, those from the North made the trek through traffic. And again, some may want to contest the strength of the league by comparing general attendance numbers in most games this season compared to the 1980s and prior, but it remains a fact, that no other league draws the quality of fan base as the SSFL. Are there ways to improve it? Of course, there are but that's for another discussion.
History, team identity and tradition!
Martin Cloake wrote, “Now, the Premier League is the richest and most glamorous in the world, English football is an in-demand global brand. But while it attracts support it does not inspire love. Love the game, hate the business; love the team, hate the club. The phrases fall readily from the lips of fans struggling with the contradictions that define them as football supporters.
"Football is successful commercially because it means something. The trouble is, we’re not sure what any more."
For many fans at many English clubs, it seems increasingly as if they support an idea that ceased to exist some time ago, a name that once meant something but is now just a badge sitting atop a global corporation or, most recently, a foreign government’s public relations spin.
In our region, specifically the Caribbean we can say the same about the game when it comes to the support of domestic football even though we are in no way in comparison to the size of the Premier League.
“It is possible to trace a social, economic and political history of England alongside a history of its football clubs,” Cloake added. And might I say, this could be said about schoolboy football in T&T.
The support community is a very important element in football. With this community, it is able to provide spirit for every community and football player, as well as providing community support to the favourite teams they support. This is evident with Secondary Schools football. Even if anyone had dared to argue that the Benedict’s team of 2022 would not stand a chance against the team of Bobby Sookram, Leroy De Leon and Wilfred Cave, the fact remains, the supporters showed up to support “St Benedict’s College.” Some of them from the De Leon era as well. The same occurred for Fatima.
Supporters are elements that cannot be separated from each other. They play both outside and inside the field, in providing support both physically and morally to the team they care about. They also have a style or strategy for providing support to their team.
As in England, football supporters began with a local community such as social clubs, churches, and fanatical unions of the team they loved. While Malvern or Maple can boast they had that in years gone by, most Secondary Schools can today still boast that its presence in their campaigns, unlike most of the existing local clubs.
Characteristics of football supporters are a community of football fans who have a traditional relationship with a team and the arena has intimate emotional relationships with the history of that team. Take a bow Secondary Schools.
Can you imagine the possibilities if local clubs were to finally align themselves with the traditional powerhouses of college football? There are so many possible ways to tie it together - an automatic feeder system for young players who actually want to pursue club football; Revenue share; Development programs, Supporters' club; Affiliation with Old Boys Associations, among other items.
I could tell you one thing, fans may be more inclined to turn up at the revamped Skinner Park (San Fernando) or Mahaica Oval (Point Fortin) in 2023, to watch a St Benedict’s United versus a Fatima City or a San Juan Atletico, simply because of the identity and alignment with history and tradition.
Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media. He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.comIn years gone by, supporting a football team was simple. You went to the match, cheered for your team and left the venue in a state of jubilation or disappointment. But the game has changed over time, and so have the fans and what unites them.
The T&T Pro League can tell you about this or local club football as a whole. What happened at the Queen’s Park Savannah (Port-of-Spain) decades ago, is from what club football experienced here, from the 90s to present.
But wait! There is one league that has carried itself the same way for years and while there may not have been 15,000 fans at the Ato Boldon Stadium (Couva) on Wednesday to witness St Benedict’s College’s triumph over Fatima College, the turnout of supporters was certainly among the larger attendance records in local football.
And the League has not done much differently than it has in years gone. Matter of fact, there’s been no paid advertising campaigns in the media on the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) matches. But yet, persons from different classes showed up to support either of the two teams in Couva, last week.
And yes, those from the North made the trek through traffic. And again, some may want to contest the strength of the league by comparing general attendance numbers in most games this season compared to the 1980s and prior, but it remains a fact, that no other league draws the quality of fan base as the SSFL. Are there ways to improve it? Of course, there are but that's for another discussion.
History, team identity and tradition!
Martin Cloake wrote, “Now, the Premier League is the richest and most glamorous in the world, English football is an in-demand global brand. But while it attracts support it does not inspire love. Love the game, hate the business; love the team, hate the club. The phrases fall readily from the lips of fans struggling with the contradictions that define them as football supporters.
"Football is successful commercially because it means something. The trouble is, we’re not sure what any more."
For many fans at many English clubs, it seems increasingly as if they support an idea that ceased to exist some time ago, a name that once meant something but is now just a badge sitting atop a global corporation or, most recently, a foreign government’s public relations spin.
In our region, specifically the Caribbean we can say the same about the game when it comes to the support of domestic football even though we are in no way in comparison to the size of the Premier League.
“It is possible to trace a social, economic and political history of England alongside a history of its football clubs,” Cloake added. And might I say, this could be said about schoolboy football in T&T.
The support community is a very important element in football. With this community, it is able to provide spirit for every community and football player, as well as providing community support to the favourite teams they support. This is evident with Secondary Schools football. Even if anyone had dared to argue that the Benedict’s team of 2022 would not stand a chance against the team of Bobby Sookram, Leroy De Leon and Wilfred Cave, the fact remains, the supporters showed up to support “St Benedict’s College.” Some of them from the De Leon era as well. The same occurred for Fatima.
Supporters are elements that cannot be separated from each other. They play both outside and inside the field, in providing support both physically and morally to the team they care about. They also have a style or strategy for providing support to their team.
As in England, football supporters began with a local community such as social clubs, churches, and fanatical unions of the team they loved. While Malvern or Maple can boast they had that in years gone by, most Secondary Schools can today still boast that its presence in their campaigns, unlike most of the existing local clubs.
Characteristics of football supporters are a community of football fans who have a traditional relationship with a team and the arena has intimate emotional relationships with the history of that team. Take a bow Secondary Schools.
Can you imagine the possibilities if local clubs were to finally align themselves with the traditional powerhouses of college football? There are so many possible ways to tie it together - an automatic feeder system for young players who actually want to pursue club football; Revenue share; Development programs, Supporters' club; Affiliation with Old Boys Associations, among other items.
I could tell you one thing, fans may be more inclined to turn up at the revamped Skinner Park (San Fernando) or Mahaica Oval (Point Fortin) in 2023, to watch a St Benedict’s United versus a Fatima City or a San Juan Atletico, simply because of the identity and alignment with history and tradition.
Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media. He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com wrote, “Now, the Premier League is the richest and most glamorous in the world, English football is an in-demand global brand. But while it attracts support it does not inspire love. Love the game, hate the business; love the team, hate the club. The phrases fall readily from the lips of fans struggling with the contradictions that define them as football supporters.
"Football is successful commercially because it means something. The trouble is, we’re not sure what any more."
For many fans at many English clubs, it seems increasingly as if they support an idea that ceased to exist some time ago, a name that once meant something but is now just a badge sitting atop a global corporation or, most recently, a foreign government’s public relations spin.
In our region, specifically the Caribbean we can say the same about the game when it comes to the support of domestic football even though we are in no way in comparison to the size of the Premier League.
“It is possible to trace a social, economic and political history of England alongside a history of its football clubs,” Cloake added. And might I say, this could be said about schoolboy football in T&T.
The support community is a very important element in football. With this community, it is able to provide spirit for every community and football player, as well as providing community support to the favourite teams they support. This is evident with Secondary Schools football. Even if anyone had dared to argue that the Benedict’s team of 2022 would not stand a chance against the team of Bobby Sookram, Leroy De Leon and Wilfred Cave, the fact remains, the supporters showed up to support “St Benedict’s College.” Some of them from the De Leon era as well. The same occurred for Fatima.
Supporters are elements that cannot be separated from each other. They play both outside and inside the field, in providing support both physically and morally to the team they care about. They also have a style or strategy for providing support to their team.
As in England, football supporters began with a local community such as social clubs, churches, and fanatical unions of the team they loved. While Malvern or Maple can boast they had that in years gone by, most Secondary Schools can today still boast that its presence in their campaigns, unlike most of the existing local clubs.
Characteristics of football supporters are a community of football fans who have a traditional relationship with a team and the arena has intimate emotional relationships with the history of that team. Take a bow Secondary Schools.
Can you imagine the possibilities if local clubs were to finally align themselves with the traditional powerhouses of college football? There are so many possible ways to tie it together - an automatic feeder system for young players who actually want to pursue club football; Revenue share; Development programs, Supporters' club; Affiliation with Old Boys Associations, among other items.
I could tell you one thing, fans may be more inclined to turn up at the revamped Skinner Park (San Fernando) or Mahaica Oval (Point Fortin) in 2023, to watch a St Benedict’s United versus a Fatima City or a San Juan Atletico, simply because of the identity and alignment with history and tradition.
Shaun Fuentes is the head of TTFA Media. He was a FIFA Media Officer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. The views expressed are solely his and not a representation of any organisation. shaunfuentes@yahoo.com.
17