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The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) executive committee has abandoned four outstanding games from the 2025 season, with a significant impact on the respective divisions.
The abandoned matches are: the Boys U-14 and U-16 National finals (both involving Naparima College and Signal Hill Secondary); the Girls Big Five final between Pleasantville Secondary and Signal Hill Secondary; and, crucially, a Premier Division league fixture between Signal Hill and St Augustine Secondary.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
All four games required inter-island travel.
The SSFL executive committee said the games were “unplayable” due to “the many challenging factors experienced”. The release did not specify the reason for the decision.
In the case of the three finals, the SSFL executive, headed by president Merere Gonzales, ruled that the respective teams are now declared joint winners.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
There was more controversy for the Premier Division competition, as the Gonzales-led body decided that the fixture between Signal Hill and St Augustine is “cancelled”.
Instead, the SSFL executive committee opted to change its tournament rules and keep both teams in the top flight.
So, only Scarborough Secondary and Carapichaima East Secondary will be demoted this season.
“The final standings would now reflect both schools playing fourteen games as compared to fifteen by the others,” stated the SSFL statement. “Only the two last placed teams, namely Scarborough Secondary and Carapichaima East Secondary, will be demoted from the Premiership division.”
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Wired868.
The SSFL Premier Division will play with 17 teams in 2026, as a result of the change, with one outfit having a bye on each match day.
And, at the end of the season, four teams will be relegated instead of three—so the league can return to 16 teams in 2027.
“The remaining fourteen teams will be joined by the top three Big 5 teams, resulting in a total of seventeen teams for the 2026 season,” stated the SSFL executive committee.
“At the conclusion of the 2026 season, the four last placed teams in the Premiership Division will be demoted to their respective Championship division and the top three Big 5 teams will be promoted to the Premiership Division, resulting in a total of sixteen teams for the 2027 season.”
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
This makes as much sense as outfitting an igloo built in Antarctica with a 5ton air condition unit. What is the SSFL Executive thinking? It’s time for PROPER leadership within these organizations if we want football to make any kind of progression in the coming years.