BY FRANCIS JOSEPH
Any fallout by the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) to leave out two Tobago schools from participating in Trinidad, has been averted.
Thanks to the intervention of the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Phillip Watts, and the Chairman of the Sports Company, Kester Lendor, Trinidad schools will join their Tobago colleagues to form the 17 teams to play in the Premiership Division – both in Trinidad and Tobago.
Because of the lack of sponsorship, Trinidad schools could not avoid to travel to Tobago. The same problem existed for the two Tobago schools, but the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) came to their rescue.
So the issue was the travel arrangements for some of the Trinidad schools who had to make the journey to Tobago.
In a media release on Friday, the Ministry of Sport said the matter has been resolved.
On July 22, the SSFL General Council voted to restrict the two Tobago schools, Signal Hill Secondary and Speyside Secondary, to its own island, so as to spare Trinidad’s 15 schools the cost of inter-island travel.
The Ministry then intervened. It took just two meetings led by the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs with the SSFL Executive to deal with the matter.
According to the Minister, “Our young athletes must be given every opportunity to participate, compete and fulfil their potential. School sport plays a critical role in building discipline, teamwork, leadership and national pride, and we were therefore determined to work with the SSFL and the Sports Company to find a solution.
“We are pleased that the teams will now be able to travel to Tobago and take part in their scheduled matches.”
The last meeting included SSFL president Merere Gonzales, general secretary-treasurer, Laurence Seepersad, and North Zone chairman, Joseph Taylor.
Sunshine Today was informed that following the meetings, arrangements have now been made to facilitate the teams’ participation.
The Premier Division is one round of matches with each school playing half of their games home and away. The fixtures are devised so no Trinidad team would cross the sea bridge more than once in the league competition. But with two Tobago teams, there will be more inter-island travel.
The SSFL previously paid Trinidad schools $10,000 each to subsidize their trip to Tobago. That figure dropped to $8,000 in 2024, while some schools received no financial support at all for 2025.
Gonzales thanked Minister Watts and Lendor for responding promptly to the concerns and helping to ensure that the teams can participate in the games.
He added, “We are grateful to Minister Watts and Chairman Lendor for their intervention and commitment to the League. Their support means that our student-athletes will be able to take the field and continue their participation in the competition.”
There is a special general council meeting planned for August 19, to discuss the way forward for the 2026 season.
