SSFL kicks off today

The League owes its late start to the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which ended on Saturday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

In the North, 2008 winners Mucurapo East Secondary and the "Tigers" of St Anthony's College will clash in the first match of a Hasely Crawford Stadium double-header from 2 p.m., before defending champions St Mary's College meet Queen's Royal College at the same venue from 4 p.m.

In the other match in that zone, Trinity College welcome back Malick Secondary, who were demoted in 2008, to the North Zone by hosting them at Moka from 3.45 p.m.

East champs St Augustine Secondary get their defence campaign started against Trinity College East at a venue that had not been confirmed up to press time last night.

Arima North Secondary play hosts to 2009 Coca Cola InterCol champions El Dorado East Secondary, and Barataria South Secondary travel to Bourg Mulatresse to take on San Juan North Secondary.

In the South Zone, the St Benedict's College "La Romain Lions" take on Pleasantville from 3 p.m. at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, two hours before the zonal heavyweights, 2008 winners Naparima College and returning champs Presentation College, kick off at the same venue from 5 p.m.

The other match of the day sees Princes Town West Secondary and Shiva Boys lock horns from 4 p.m. at Princes Town.

The SSFL Tobago and Central zones will kick off on Saturday.

This year, with the shortened season, defending champions from zones seeing action today are wary of the fact that there is little room for error for any team in a six-match season.

All matches, except for the South encounters and the Hasely Crawford Stadium double header, kick off at 3.45 p.m.

SSFL round-up

North Zone

Junior Maxwell, last year's assistant coach at St Mary's College, has stepped one rung up and will sit in the hot seat as senior coach this year. Maxwell says he has a young squad this year and they are "raring to go".

"We have a few surprises this year," he hinted.

As for the shortened season, Maxwell does not feel it will hand any team an unfair advantage.

"It's the same scenario for everybody," he said. "We knew a year in advance it was going to be a shortened season, so we prepared the boys for a short season. I think we've planned well and did as much as we could within the short season."

East Zone

Veteran coach Michael Grayson is back at the helm again at St Augustine and is feeling "pretty good", despite losing many of his players.

He is accustomed to having to rebuild a squad and he says not much has changed in how his team will approach it in their never-ending quest for a full sweep of zonal, "Big Five" and InterCol titles.

Said Grayson: "Short or not, it will still be a season, so we still have the same goals to win all four trophies...nothing has changed there. We lost more than half the team after graduation (earlier this year). So like everything else we had to rebuild."

South Zone

Presentation College coach Shawn Cooper, who doubles as national Under-17 coach, feels this season will be "very, very challenging" for his "inexperienced" team.

He thinks that the team that gets out in front early, if they can be consistent, will lift the trophy this year. Cooper says the Naparima clash first up could determine whether they can defend their title.

"Once we settle down early I think we will be one of the teams to be looked at. We go into the game in full strength," Cooper told the Express yesterday.

"We are going in quietly confident, I don't think they will underestimate us. We will take it as the minutes go by and then we will progress. But I have a couple of surprises for them and I hope (Naps' coach) Leonson (Lewis) is ready for it."

Today's SSFL fixtures:

North Zone

East Mucurapo Sec vs St Anthony's College 2 p.m. Hasely Crawford Stadium

St Mary's College vs Queen's Royal College, 4 p.m., Hasely Crawford Stadium

Trinity College vs Malick Sec, 3.45 p.m, Moka

East Zone

St Augustine Sec vs Trinity College East, 3.45 p.m.

Arima North Sec vs El Dorado East Sec, 3.45 p.m., Arima

Barataria South Sec vs San Juan North Sec, 3.45 p.m., San Juan

South Zone

St Benedict's College vs Pleasantville Sec, 3 p.m., Mannie Ramjohn Stadium

Naparima College vs Presentation College, 5 p.m., Mannie Ramjohn Stadium

Princes Town West Sec vs Shiva Boys College, 4 p.m., Princes Town.