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The Ministry of Sport is asking women’s football fans and stakeholders to share their opinions in an an interactive chat on the proposed Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Professional League (WPL), which is due to kick off in late May 2015.
The WPL, according to the Ministry of Sport, is “a joint initiative” between the Ministry of Sport, the SPORTT Company, the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) and the Trinidad and Tobago Women’s League Football (WOLF).
(Courtesy CONCACAF)
The WPL will “run for a couple of weeks” and should involve players from throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. It aims to mirror the structure of the United States Major League Soccer (MLS) and regional cricket’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with franchises, salary caps and a draft system.
Fixtures are proposed to play on community grounds around the country.
So, the question is: What do you think about the value and chances of success for the proposed Women’s Professional League?
Editor’s Note: A representative from the Ministry of Sport has advised that they will not respond to comments posted on Wired868 about the proposed Trinidad and Tobago Women’s Professional League.
Wired868 regrets their failure to do so as promised but will try to get further information on the competition as soon as possible.
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Thanks Lasana Liburd for this post. The feedback is honest, welcomed and appreciated. It has brought to light many of the concerns and feelings of the general populace. Those involved in the planning process will attempt to answer all questions in due course. Please continue to contribute to the post.
Many comments and interesting insights. Still awaiting the Sport Ministry to join in though…
That is not correct prince borde!! In fact most of the local clubs are against the league starting this season but are being offered large incentives and players big promises!! The only reason the league will play this year is because alot of folks are going to eat ah food!! Tell u when the mark bust ppl will think the sport ministry is the new slush fund!!
Overly ambitious Lasana? Nothing good or sustainable will come from this at all.
…Ok Lasana Liburd…but i cannot understand what is the haste all of a sudden to establish a Women’s Pro League…Yes it is Needed…Yes It will make our players better…However…look at how many fans turn up for Pro League matches currently…clubs already have a struggle(s) where finance is concerned….How about Increasing the current grant/subvention and in about 3-5 years you start the Women’s League???
Another hairbrained idea from a leadership characterized by intellectual bankruptcy and vision less. Pure vaps planning in an attempt to be a populist. The leadership’s trajectory is on the down do anything to shore her fortunes up. After the grand design of payment to the women footballers nada now this? Too little too late.
Can’t meet a lot of bills but want to sucker ppl just for votes then leave them begging for payment?
Prince Borde, there are barely a handful of professional women’s leagues in the world so that won’t be it. FIFA would be quite happy with its money simply making WOLF better.
The Sport Ministry said the hold up in the payment for the male Pro League teams was paperwork rather than there not being any money Mark Anthony Scott. I will keep following up on that issue.
…How could it be that clubs are still owed outstanding Prize Money yet the MOS wants to start a Women’s Pro League???…shouldn’t they ensure that clubs are given All their monies earned first???…Makes No Sense To Me
I think FIFA is pressuring to start one. I heard somewhere that they allotted money to start one. And we haven’t yet
…Clearly they seeking some late points
If the gov’t want to waste money with starting a league that has no viable way of sustaining itself, then by all means go ahead. No wonder the gov’t dependency continues to permiate our society.
I think there are some serious questions that should be answered. On paper, it looks overly ambitious. But I want to hear the responses first as I can see that the Sport Ministry is throwing a lot of effort and resources behind this.
The PFL came after three years of the SPFL that was supposed to get us ready for pro football. And obviously the PFL and then Pro League still struggled.
But since the Sport Minister and advisor already know this, I would like to hear how they plan to make the women’s game a success when the men’s game isn’t.
I’m assuming that the community grounds might be one answer although obviously if those grounds were in good shape then the men’s Pro League games will be playing there already.
Lasana – do you really think that this is a good idea? A women’s pro league when the men’s league struggling for attendance and the national teams have no paid coaches?
You think that they can call for ‘consultation’ and then start a league in a month’s time? And where is the TTFA in this?
Steups. Look – don’t start me.
…..Good points from both Dion Sosa and Brent Bennett…fix the main League (TTPL) first…get that on a Proper footing…then you can sort out the Women…even though the Ladies will feel slighted…but like it or not the Men’s League will Always be Priority
Lasana you looking tuh raise my pressure early this afternoon. How about us having a real men’s pro league first. Taking about a women’s pro league, what they getting paid, junk?
Another harebrained scheme to waste money.We hardly have a mens ”semiprofessional” league in the country,yet we speak of a womens professional league?Please.
Lasana this is a election ploy and a stupid waste of time and funds you’re starting a league when the national team has no coach training or funding to sign a bunch of foreigner who you gonna feed house and pay them then they leave after 6 weeks what a brilliant plan its a good thing is 2 minds come up with this well done minister and adviser
More info is needed to make an informed comment. How many teams? Where will they play? What are the objectives? What’s the format?
most of the bigger women’s leagues fall under the umbrella of the male professional league. not to say that they shouldn’t have some degree of autonomy, but they can benefit from the extra leverage of the more established, higher profile league, as well as benefit from sharing the administrative infrastructure.
Anything of this nature will have challenges at first. Once they don’t expect huge crowds and don’t play games in big stadiums I think it can work. This gives younger girls something to shoot for. Also you have players playing more. I am not sure about just having it for a couple weeks. One thing the US does is they market well to the young girls. You have millions of young little girls wanting to be the next mia Hamm. We will have to market it differently. Play in stadiums that hold less. It’s can work over a 3 to 4 month period to start. Televise the games locally. Bring in other Caribbean girls and foreigners to play in it.
You’re writing off the league even before the questions are answered Gordon Pierre? You’re jumping the gun I think. Lol
So the May launch date is out the window I take it? Has to be if they’re now asking for input.
I believe the May launch date stands. But fair question.
No debut Sana only season!!! After this madness d party done!! Not hearing from the folks who give their sweat blood and tears for women football tho!! Like they eating ah food!! Tongue in cheek!! Lol
Gordon Pierre has nailed the basic questions that need answers before you can start.
Can you say ‘election ploy’? There is no way in hell you can possibly get an entire league started in less than a month and expect any kind of sustainability.
Easy answer……they can’t
Fixed Lasana Liburd
The U-20s play in the CFU in June and the women play in Pan Am in July and Olympic qualifiers in August. That could be close to a month lost without factoring in practice games and so on.
So my question is: How does the league plan to deal with such disruptions and loss of talent in its debut season?
We starting a proleague end of month ?? Where is the advertising? Who are the teams?? Who is the marquee players? Who are the sponsors?? How can interested players aboard get on teams? Why the rush for the start? What are the goals of the league?
They can’t answer all that at once Gordon lol
Someone mentioned that double header idea and I think it makes sense. But, at the moment, the WPL will be run and finished long before the Pro League kicks off.
So I will like to hear if that is a long term idea.
You mean the SSFL Leslie Noel?
Dennis, I could not say it better. We are always looking for quick fixes. But, normally they do what they want anyway. So, I will say that a direct connection with the TT Pro-League may be the best route at this time to build the market, which is the key to any successful business. A double headed with a female and male game, could increase and diversify spectatorship.
We need to better our present football league before we go off getting side tracked……I personally feel that the SSL is better than our semi-professional league
I dont think it will be successful in the first couple of weeks and they will decide to discontinue the league after they’ve ‘investeD’ a large amount of funds. Hence, a very easy way to ‘eat ah food’
Now see y the formerly outspoken senior player gone ananomous now because do not want the ttfa to withdraw their support for this farce!! Which i am sure they will b eating a food and scarificing the future of women football bc money without development is a recipe for disaster!!
Whilst my heart says yes, my brain says no. Our ladies deserve their own league, of that I am sure, however, there are still too many things still to improve in both the Pro and Lower leagues (attendance, infrastructure, administration etc.) before we can make that step.
Lasana Liburd i actually think it can be quite viable if done correctly. Tell them to hire me…. i have plenty ideas.
If development is not in place it is purely an eat ah food project!! And if sustainability is not put in place it should not b called a league but a one off competition a truly professional league should have u15 and u17 s in place proper coaching structures and administrative structures
This is exactly what we need at the top end of our football structure. Each existing Pro LEague Club will create a female team and Game Days will continue to be double headers but with two clubs instead of four, ladies first (of course) followed by the men. Just as with the mens game, players will be sourced from the Caribbean, South and Central America. This has all the potential to bring more fans to the venues and furnish media and corporate participation. At the base end of our football structure, we MUST create and implement a Development PRogramme.
That isn’t quite the proposal as far as we have heard so far. But I think that is a very interesting idea. Would like to hear the response to that proposal.
This can only be a good thing the woman footballer is left behind for to long we need this
starting from the top ALONE will get nowhere fast, IMO. we gotta do structural things…plant trees if we want to suck mango
I guess that falls under a general question about their vision for the league.
i can go on and on, but i recall spending an entire day discussing this with the FORMER Minister of Sport, Anil Roberts. I think the CURRENT MoS was there that day as well.
each TTPro League team has to have a senior and U-14, U-18 women’s team.
they should have a provision to pay a football coach for every primary school team—and not an additional stipend or bonus for a teacher either. a proper coach.
there should be a facility to pay a coach for each secondary school for Form 1 league, U-14, U-16 and First Eleven.
the Ministry of Sport should have a division for the development of TV coverage of ALL sports.
an annual contest for journalists—bloggers, video bloggers, mainstream print, radio and TV—for the coverage of ALL SPORTS, but especially the top five
Do your know the depth of the research done, to produce a sustained quality league?we all know the factors that is needed and I believe the answer is no!
In a country where support for the male counterpart isn’t what it should be, this is extremely ambitious. I question the motive given we are in election mode.
Having said that, the community based approach seems a step in the right direction but without private sector support, it’s doomed to failure. That means that the business proposition has to be sound. I don’t want a league supported only by government funds.
What are the objectives of the proposed league? Surely we can’t give our opinion if we don’t know what the outcomes are to be.
Won’t be a success. Cooperate TnT won’t invest just as the present Pro suffers for support.
It would be nice to have a professional women’s league but what kind of structure has been implemented for a league that’s supposed to begin in a few weeks?