Dear Editor: No medics, insufficient refs and ridiculous substitution rules—TTFA youth league’s chaotic start

“[…] In our U17 match, a player from the opposing team fell and broke his hand—and shockingly, there was not a single medic on site to administer first aid.

“[…] Once again, there was a shortage of referees and […] the substitution rules of the TTFA National Youth League are also an embarrassment. Imagine calling this a premier youth development competition, yet restricting U15 and U17 teams to just five substitutes per game.

“Across the globe, youth tournaments prioritize development by allowing rolling or unlimited substitutions—and even in the previous edition of the Republic Cup, unlimited substitutes were permitted in those age groups…”

The following Letter to the Editor, which lists a range of issues on the opening weekend of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s National Youth League (NYL), was submitted to Wired868 by a Crown Trace FC coach:

Two days before the TTFA’s National Youth League was scheduled to kick off, fixtures were released.

On Friday night at 7.33pm, less than 15 hours before our first match day, a message was sent advising of a venue change. I ask plainly: can it get any worse?

Like many grassroots clubs, Saturdays are dedicated to academy training. I went early to my home club to prepare our academy session, alongside my two other coaches, before departing for what should have been a proud opening day of league football.

We were scheduled to play a U-15 match at 10.30am at the St Mary’s Recreational Grounds, followed by our U-20 fixture at 1.00pm in Caroni. I left with both sets of uniforms to ensure smooth coordination between the two matches.

At 9.30am, upon arrival at the originally scheduled venue, I discovered there had been a change. A message sent at 7:33pm the night before informed teams that the U15 match had been moved to Couva.

Instead of traveling from Freeport to Caroni, a manageable 30-minute commute, I now had to journey from Couva—turning it into roughly a 50-minute drive, assuming the first match started on time.

It did not.

Our scheduled 10.30am match kicked off at just about 11.05am. In the spirit of cooperation, the referee and the opposing coach agreed to shorten the game by ten minutes, acknowledging my situation.

To make matters worse, there was a shortage of referees. From halftime, I performed the duties of assistant referee two, despite being the head coach—because I am a certified referee and there was no one else available then.

The match concluded around 12.30pm. After handing over the referee’s flag at approximately 12.40pm, I immediately began the journey—now from Couva instead of Freeport—to make the 1pm U20 fixture at Caroni.

At 12.55pm, Ms Lara called enquiring about my whereabouts. I explained that I was traveling from Couva, due to the last-minute venue change.

At 1.01pm, Ms. Lara called again—informing me that I had 10 minutes to arrive because she had spoken to someone and was told that no time could be added.

My concern was not about losing a game because I had the uniforms. My concern is the unreasonable, late, and poorly communicated changes that placed us in that position to begin with.

By 1.15pm, a referee’s report had already been written forfeiting the match, stating that my players were not present. That is inaccurate. My players were there. I, however, had to travel from Couva because of the eleventh-hour change.

By 1.30pm, a Tier 2 team was already gathering for their 4.00pm Tier 2 fixture at Frederick Settlement. It raises a serious question: was there genuine intent to accommodate and play our scheduled match?

This situation is not merely about Crown Trace FC. It is about respect for volunteer coaches, for parents who make sacrifices, and most importantly for young players who deserve structure, professionalism, and fairness.

The opening day of a competition should set the tone for excellence in youth development. Instead, it exposed disorganization, referee shortages, and a troubling lack of professionalism.

If we are serious about youth football under the banner of the TTFA National Youth League, then planning, communication, and accountability must improve.

Our young players deserve better.

On Match Day 2, when we hoped the chaos of the opening day might be corrected, the situation deteriorated even further.

In our U17 match, a player from the opposing team fell and broke his hand—and shockingly, there was not a single medic on site to administer first aid.

Player safety should be the absolute minimum standard in any organized competition, especially under the banner of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Once again, there was a shortage of referees and I refused to continue facilitating as AR2, after being asked yet again to compensate for poor planning.

With no officials available, one of my substitutes volunteered to run the line just so the game could proceed—an unacceptable situation. To make matters worse, we were again asked to provide the match ball, which I strongly objected to.

Crown Trace registered four teams and paid $2,000 in fees; what exactly are we paying for if basic organization, officiating, and medical coverage cannot be guaranteed?

This level of mismanagement is unfair to clubs, coaches, and most importantly, the young players.

The substitution rules of the TTFA National Youth League are also an embarrassment.

Imagine calling this a premier youth development competition, yet restricting U15 and U17 teams to just five substitutes per game.

Across the globe, youth tournaments prioritize development by allowing rolling or unlimited substitutions—and even in the previous edition of the Republic Cup, unlimited substitutes were permitted in those age groups.

(Editor’s Note: The Republic Cup allowed unlimited substitutions in the U-14/U-15 and U-17 age groups, with the caveat that a player could not re-enter the field in the same half that he was replaced.)

For over 20 years, Crown Trace FC has consistently fielded every age group and now the girls division as well, which speaks volumes about the growth and seriousness of our development programme.

How are we expected to register 20 players in a youth competition and then manage meaningful playing time with only five substitutions?

At this stage, it’s not about winning for us; we’ve grown beyond that. It’s about development, exposure, confidence, and ensuring every young player gets the opportunity to play, improve, and believe in themselves.

It’s more than about chasing a trophy; it’s about growth.

Crown Trace have travelled abroad to participate in the Manchester Easter Cup, USA Cup, Disney Cup, and the Robbie Soccer Tournament Canada.

From U-13 to U-19, those competitions all have unlimited substitutions for your match day roster, so that teams can expose as many players as possible.

The organisers of the Republic Bank National Youth Football League understood the value of that. Why doesn’t the TTFA?

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