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With the Digicel Pro League 2016/17 season set to commence on the weekend, TT Pro League chief executive officer Dexter Skeene was pleased to announce, that through the support of the Trinidad and Tobago Government and local government, more community grounds are earmarked to become available for professional play.

Defence Force Headquarters Ground in Chaguaramas, Irwin Park in Siparia and Park Street Recreation Ground in Morvant, together with the Mahaica Oval in Point Fortin and Barataria Recreation Ground, will all come alive for the new season. While the Diego Martin, Carenage and Sangre Grande recreation grounds are expected to be upgraded within the next two years.

All this, including the coining of a new motto – Your Clubs, Your League, Reaching Communities, Creating Stars – focused on the new thrust of the League, were revealed during the official launch of the DPL 2016/17 on Tuesday morning in the Digicel Corporate Box of the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

Skeene, during his remarks, referenced the Major League Soccer (MLS) which, in its early years, experienced financial and operational struggles despite millions of dollars pumped in by wealthy owners Lamar Hunt of the Dallas Cowboys, Phillip Anschutz and Bob Kraft. The MLS had lost millions of dollars, while teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums back then, but today, with soccer-specific venues, average MLS attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball League (NBA). The MLS has also secured TV deals and is now profitable.

“The catalyst for investment, they state, came with the advent of investment in soccer specific stadia throughout the US in soccer mad cities,” said Skeene. “None of these projects were mega constructions so they were not mega risks. They were scaled to 20,000-30,000 capacity buildings which were initially funded by the owners but subsequently with the increase in franchises, the municipalities were willing to contribute.

“I am pleased to state that we have reached this juncture in our history,” continued the Pro League CEO. “The Minister of Sport, together with the Ministry, the Sport Company and local government are willing to work together to upgrade football friendly facilities – my term for soccer specific stadia – to enhance the League’s attendance and build the fan base of the clubs, thereby providing the tools necessary to become self-sufficient and viable.”

Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Darryl Smith, also speaking during the launch, concurred. “Everywhere I go, people ask for the Pro League in the communities,” he said. “People in the community want to identify, they want to feel proud.

“There is no secret that [football] is the number one sport in Trinidad and Tobago. (…)We are dependent on oil and gas but I’ve always said from day one, our greatest resource shouldn’t be oil and gas, [it] should be the young men that play in the Pro League, in the Secondary Schools League and so on. We have to invest in the young people.”

Smith, a former national youth footballer who earned a full football scholarship in the United States where he attained a BSc. in Business and MSc. in Business Administration, added, “I was able to beg and the whole cabinet was very understanding knowing that this is part of our manifesto. The policy of the country right now is to pump sports back in the grassroots areas.

“It won’t happen overnight – it will take a while as revenue comes in and the monies are released – but by next year or the year after I am hoping that all the games will be played at the community level and don’t have to be in the stadium. You have the commitment from me, you have the commitment from the government to work with you all with regards to the grassroots level and that aspect of it,” Smith told all present during the launch.

Smith also cooled concerns over the Government’s subvention to the League and clubs. “At no time we have ever said we are not going to support the League. We understand the importance [of the League] and the work you all do, and we respect that. We will continue assisting you all this season and we will come together again next year and discus to see how we can move forward.”

With new developments unfolding, Lori Ann Glasgow, head of marketing at Digicel, said, “It is a proud moment on behalf of Digicel to say we have witnessed the League grow from strength to strength, providing a platform for footballers to showcase their talent and of course to compete for very attractive prizes.”

The Jamaica-born Glasgow continued, “We are especially excited for the 2016/17 season as we are taking the games to the communities. This transition of the Pro League to the community fields brings the players straight to the fans. No doubt this will spark even more excitement and passion for the game. We commend the League and its officials for their sterling efforts and dedication towards, not only the game of football, but more importantly to the players of this country.”

On Friday the Mahaica Oval in Point Fortin will feature the opening games this season with a South-vs-North double-header. Club Sando will tackle last season’s runners-up San Juan Jabloteh from 5pm before home side Point Fortin Civic welcomes Morvant Caledonia United from 7:30pm.

“We have come a long way,” Skeene said. “…this year the owners clubs, coaches and players are united in taking the games to the community. We continue to challenge ourselves to re-examine every year the prevailing circumstances and economic conditions to apply the strategies necessary to become profitable.”

This season the league format will have two Rounds and the First Citizens Cup and Digicel Pro Bowl knockout tournaments from September 2016 to February 2017 with the next season reverting to the April to December format.

Skeene continued, “The clubs have also come together to strategise and execute with respect to the marketing aspects of the Digicel Pro League competition and it augurs well for the league and aligns with our motto, one people one vision one culture striving for excellence.

“Keeping alive the dream of a professional football league in Trinidad and Tobago and being the flag bearer of the Sport industry in Trinidad and Tobago hasn't been an easy journey thus far. But our unconditional love and undiminished passion for football and belief of the power of football to make a significant difference in the lives of the youth of the nation fuels our desire and hunger to keep the battle going.”