School reps slam SSFL All Star picks, urge overhaul of selection process

Arima North Secondary head coach Wayne Sheppard, St Augustine Secondary head coach Tacuma Jones and Fatima College manager Stephen ‘Bison’ Williams have called on the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) executive to overhaul its selection process for its All Star teams.

Last Thursday, the SSFL executive, led by president Merere Gonzales, held its prize giving ceremony for the 2024 season—almost six months after the Coca Cola National Intercol final, which usually marks the completion of the season, and four months after the rescheduled SSFL Big Five competition.

The selection of the Male and Female Players of the Year and All Star teams are the highlights of the gala and, not for the first time, there were talking points.

St Benedict’s College captain and forward Derrel ‘Zoom Zoom’ Garcia was undoubtedly the most outstanding player in the SSFL last season—even as his eligibility, due to the manner of his registration by principal Gregory Quan Kep, was the subject of much controversy.

(Ironically, Quan Kep collected the trophy on Garcia’s behalf with the young man abroad at a seven-a-side tournament in North Carolina.)

The talking point for coaches on the SSFL prize giving, though, was not the Player of the Year accolades—but rather the players selected on the respective All Star teams.

“They need to be very transparent with schools about how they pick the All Star teams,” said Fatima College manager Stephen ‘Bison’ Williams. “Yes, they give us a sheet every game to fill out the player of the match from the opposing team—but that can’t be the be-all and end-all of what they are using to pick the overall All Star team.”

Gonzales did not respond to Wired868’s request for clarification on the SSFL’s process for naming its All Star teams. However, Wired868 can confirm that the governing body asks each coach to name the best player from the opposing team at the conclusion at the end of each match.

But how does that translate to an all-star team? Are there enough votes to enable tabulators to decide on the SSFL’s best left back, for instance?

St Augustine Secondary head coach Tacuma Jones said the SSFL owes it to teams to offer more clarity on the criteria for All Star selection and more transparency related to the information used to name the teams.

“My knowledge of this is that it is based on man of the match awards,” Jones told Wired868. “But I think it should be better defined and more transparent for teams, so that everyone can follow.

“After every match, just like they did with yellow cards, they should create a table that tallies man of the match selections.”

Potentially, there are other issues with basing All Star teams on man of the match nominations.

For instance, would an outstanding schoolboy who is the second or third most prominent player on his team be less likely to gather votes than a less talented boy on a weaker team?

Is that why, for instance, St Benedict’s defender Joshua Figaro and goalkeeper Thane Devenish were not rewarded with picks despite stellar seasons?

Conversely, if all schools had 15 man of the match nominees each, how come there were no All Star picks for any player from Mucurapo East Secondary and Miracle Ministries Pentecostal High School?

Arima North Secondary head coach Wayne Sheppard suggested that an All Star place should not hinge on the choice of coaches immediately after games.

“I know in my games, I focus on my team and my players and if we are executing according to the game plan,” said Sheppard. “Yes, an opposing player may come into focus—but that does not necessarily mean he was the best player for the opposing team [in that game].”

Basically, asked to select an opposing player in those conditions, coaches are more likely to go with the most recognisable player.

“The fact that secretaries were calling around to coaches and team administrators after the fact [as they finalised the All Star teams],” said Sheppard, “suggests that if that [man of the match] info was tabulated it either wasn’t used or it was misplaced.”

Another possible blindspot in the current selection process is it does take player positions into account. Can the SSFL administrators be sure to have enough votes spread across each player position to determine who the league’s best left back was, for instance?

How would they know anyway, since the paperwork does not state player position?

“There are boys who did not play as midfielders but were selected as midfielders on the All Star team,” said Sheppard. “There are even boys selected on the All Star team who lost their starting places on their own school teams.

“So the question has to be asked: how are they then selected on an All Star team? It devalues the whole thing, particularly for the boys who were deservingly selected.”

Sheppard identified the Presentation College (San Fernando) pair of Cody Cooper and Duhrell Young and Arima North Secondary defender Ability Hazel, as players who were especially unfortunate to miss out.

“These are boys who played almost every game in defences that gave up few goals,” said Sheppard. “Presentation and Arima were two of only three defences that conceded less than a goal per game average across the entire league.”

Presentation College conceded just 11 goals across 15 league and two Intercol games. However, the only member of their backline to get the nod was goalkeeper Marcelo Phillip who did not feature in all of his team’s matches.

Arima North were the second stingiest defence across the entire season, as they conceded 14 goals from 17 matches. But goalkeeper Jadon-Paul Alexander and Hazel missed out.

Other players (not already mentioned) who caught the eye were:

QRC midfielder Aydon Caruth, Fatima College left back Micaiah Leach and goalkeeper Shameal O’Brian, and forward Michael Chaves, St Benedict’s College left back Elijah George, San Juan North flanker Jahdel Chase-Charles, Presentation midfielder Nikosi Foncette and attacker Vaughn Clement, St Augustine Secondary defender Mathias Cruickshank and midfielder Abraham Kirk, Mucurapo defender Elijah Edwards, St Anthony’s College playmaker Mordecai Ford, and the Miracle Ministries trio of defender Terrique Thomas, winger Keon Codrington and forward Kyle Holder.

That said, there could be no questioning the impact of selected All Star players like Trinity College East attacker Khaleem Prince, the Benedict’s pair of Garcia and Adam ‘Toka’ Pierre, Fatima College playmaker Caden Trestrail and defender Yohance Atherton, Arima North midfielder Criston ‘CJ’ Gomez, Speyside Secondary midfielder Riquelme Phillips, Malick Secondary right back Jordan Ferdinand and Signal Hill Secondary defender Kerron Arthur.

Sheppard suggested that the SSFL approach journalists who cover matches live, like representatives from SportsMax, Wired868 or Enrique Rupert, to collaborate for the selection of All Star teams—as was done in the prior millennium.

Or coaches can be asked to name squads, excluding players from their own school, at the end of the season. The players with the most picks would become the All Star team.

Jones noted that the SSFL could do a better job in managing its prize giving ceremony too. He was unhappy that Naparima College captain Israel Joseph, for instance, was allowed to collect a prize on stage in work attire—rather than in the mandated school uniform.

Other coaches noted recycled trophies with logos from former sponsors, the late date for the awards, and the misspellings on All Star certificates for multiple players, although the SSFL has birth certificates for all school footballers.

(Five Rivers Secondary standout and Trinidad and Tobago national youth team player Hackeemar Goodridge was given a certificate spelt ‘Hackeema Goodridge’ while San Juan North star Lindell Sween, who is capped for Trinidad and Tobago from Under-17 straight to Senior Team level, had ‘Lyndon Sween’ on his certificate.)

The three school representatives who spoke on the record to Wired868 were unanimous that the present process for selecting the SSFL’s top players is not good enough.

“The criteria is not well defined and open to scrutiny,” said Jones.

SSFL’s top five boys for 2024: St Benedict’s College forward Derrel ‘Zoom Zoom’ Garcia, San Juan North Secondary attacker Lindell Sween, Signal Hill Secondary forward Kyle James, Fatima College playmaker Caden Trestrail, and Arima North Secondary fullback Criston ‘CJ’ Gomez.

SSFL’s top six girls for the 2024 season: Pleasantville Secondary attacker Nikita Gosine, Bishop Anstey East attacker Orielle Martin, Five Rivers Secondary utility player Hackeemar Goodridge, Signal Hill Secondary goalkeeper Kenisha Taylor, and the St Joseph’s Convent (Port of Spain) duo of utility player Kaitlyn Darwent and midfielder Daneelyah Salandy.

The SSFL Boys All Star team:

Goalkeepers: Marcelo Phillip (Presentation College, San F’do), Tyrece Romain (Naparima College), Shemuel Cassimy (QRC);

Defenders: Criston Gomez (Arima North Secondary), Adam Pierre (St Benedict’s College), Yohance Atherton (Fatima College), Jordan Ferdinand (Malick Secondary), Kerron Arthur (Signal Hill Secondary), Rondell Harewood (St Anthony’s College);

Midfielders: Josiah Ochoa (St Benedict’s College), Luke Correia, Caden Trestrail (both Fatima College), Isaiah Jacob (Presentation College, San F’do), Riquelme Phillips (Speyside Secondary), Israel Joseph (Naparima College), Lindell Sween, Jadiel Joseph (both San Juan North Secondary);

Forwards: Derrel Garcia (St Benedict’s College), Kyle James (Signal Hill Secondary), Andell Fraser (St Anthony’s College), Khaleem Prince (Trinity College East), Kyle Phillip (St Mary’s College).

The SSFL Girls All Star Team comprised:

Goalkeepers: Janike Ramoutar (Pleasantville Secondary), Alexia Dolland (St Joseph’s Convent, PoS), Kenisha Taylor (Signal Hill Secondary);

Defenders: Kanika Rodriguez (St Augustine Secondary), Madison Campbell (Signal Hill Secondary), Mikalah Guerero (Pleasantville Secondary), Madison Campbell, J’Eleisha Alexander (both Signal Hill Secondary), Kimora Mitchell (San Juan North Secondary);

Midfielders: Shaquilla Daniel, Akila George (both Five Rivers Secondary), Sydney Pollard (Miracle Ministries PHS), Makaylah Robley (Signal Hill Secondary), Daneelyah Salandy, Rori Gittens (both St Joseph’s Convent, PoS), Natalia Gosine, Nikita Gosine (both Pleasantville Secondary);

Forwards: Orielle Martin (Bishop Anstey East), Shinika Lewis (San Juan North Secondary), Ty’kaiyah Dennis (Signal Hill Secondary), Aaquila Virgil (Miracle Ministries PHS), Gyasi Lewis (Bishop’s High School, Tobago), Hackeemar Goodridge (Five Rivers Secondary).