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DAVID SCARLETT PRESIDENT of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Merere Gonzales, has acknowledged the issues faced by the league and its participating schools this season, but assures the public that these are being addressed. The SSFL is no stranger to turbulence, particularly seen through last year’s spectacle surrounding St Benedict’s College forward, Derrel Garcia. This year, the league has faced new challenges including cut sponsorship, fixture pile-ups and struggles in the championship and the lower divisions. In an interview with Newsday, Gonzales explained the difficulties faced by the SSFL. He said, “The start of the season was quite a hectic one. But still, we were able to get more than 100 schools registered (for the 2025 season). Some of them thought that they would have been able to compete. However, due to some difficulties, they withdrew. “This is understandable as, sometimes, there are logistical constraints that specific schools may encounter.” Gonzales also stated that schools withdrawing before the league’s fixtures are released is the honourable thing to do, for if a team withdraws from the competition after the release, they can be banned for two years. Additionally, the president acknowledged the conditions of some school home venues, be it school grounds or public recreational grounds, especially in the championship and the lower divisions. In September, there was an instance where a team in the Central Zone of the boys championship attempted to prepare their home ground by using flour to mark the field lines just minutes before kick-off. The referee deemed this unacceptable and the match was not played. Many schools outside of the premier division, who do not have corporate sponsorship, face such issues. Team staff do what they can with what they have to give their players the opportunity to play, whether it’s the professional way or not. “While we know that there is a concerted effort by the relevant authorities (to address ground preparation), this is a major concern for us in the SSFL because we feel more can be done to provide that much-needed assistance for the schools and, in the event of having to use recreational grounds, they should also be up to a playable and credible standard,” Gonzales expressed. He also said that teams, both boys’ and girls’, can bolster their finances by charging for entry at matches. This works well for premier division schools like Naparima College who are able to invest in their team from the funds they receive at the gate for their home matches. The SSFL has had its own financial issues as well. Prior to the start of the 2025 season, long-time sponsor, the National Gas Company (NGC), ended its sponsorship arrangement with the SSFL due to internal turbulence. NGC also withdrew its sponsorship from the National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA). According to Gonzales, this was a major blow for the SSFL. “Here lies a very serious and challenging issue in the SSFL,” he said. “We are making a concerted effort to navigate it (the cut of sponsorship), keep our head above water, and still have a league that is a meaningful, exciting and competitive one. However, it is a massive challenge. “NGC was one of the most professional, well-managed partners we had on board. It is unfortunate that they are in this situation right now. In light of that, we are in the red (financially). “We also had one of our most highly-respected partners in Shell. But Shell, another gas entity, is also experiencing internal issues. (Due to the many changes in the company), we still haven’t received the sponsored funds from last season. We are into a new season, and we’d like them to be on board with us, but there is nothing concrete as we have had before.” NGC’s and Shell’s withdrawn sponsorship has affected the league at large, particularly the planned inaugural girls premiership. However, the TT Football Association (TTFA) is working with the SSFL to provide financial assistance and ensure that the girls premiership is launched in 2026. Also, First Citizens opted to narrow its sponsorship to the boys championship only. Coca-Cola still remains as the title sponsor of the Intercol competition. The SSFL’s sponsorship woes have also affected travelling schools. Schools traveling to and from Tobago, now have to fund their own way across the sea. The struggle to do so has resulted in many postponed games; causing a fixture congestion past the midway point of the season. There are currently 13 rescheduled matches to be played with Signal Hill Secondary having seven of those. These rescheduled matches mean that Signal Hill are set to play seven matches in 20 days. The SSFL has also suffered broadcasting hardships. Since the shutdown of SportsMax in August, the league has struggled to find a broadcasting partner. However, they are forming a partnership with Digicel, Rush and TT Television (TTT) to have matches broadcasted. In the interim period, the SSFL matches are being broadcasted on Tiger Tanks International, 360TV and Tobago Sports Live. Gonzales also stated that, since the shutdown of SportsMax, there have been many media companies – local and foreign – who have approached the SSFL for broadcasting rights. But they did not offer a proper financial proposal to the league. Nevertheless, the SSFL plans to continue to build student-athletes across all divisions. In the off-season, between January and August, the league seeks to fill that void with a platform to help student-athletes be more involved in their schools and towards their career pathways. Monthly activities such as nutrition; performance; strength and conditioning workshops; coaching education; fitness training education; mental health workshops; media training workshops; guidance on safeguarding issues; leadership; management; and mentorship programmes have been made available. Gonzales said that these activities will keep schools engaged and have something meaningful, productive and valuable prior to the start of next season.
