Beleaguered Pro League

But their deserved triumph was played out to general indifference as the League still struggles to expand its fan base beyond diehard supporters who number at best in the hundreds.

Eleven years ago, the first choice goalkeeper for the regiment—as the Defence Force was then called—was Ross Russell, the current coach of the championship winners. His broad smile at the final whistle spoke volumes.

Russell and his troops were joined on the field by the Defence Force Steel Orchestra and some excited children whose happy faces became the icon of celebration on the Pro League’s website.

But discerning eyes looked beyond the smiling faces to the empty rows of plastic seats for the real story.
There were, arguably, over 1,000 spectators to see Defence Force cross the finish line with a tame goalless draw against San Juan Jabloteh.

The fact that, despite millions having been spent on salaries, prize money and marketing, such a marquee fixture can still be comfortably accommodated at most community centres is a sobering, depressing even, look behind the mask of the local game.

Administrators, coaches and players are all culpable to varying degrees for failing to deliver a product that is capable of igniting the interest of the populace. But, after 11 years, surely it is pointless to continue to hope that this problem will resolve itself.

In 1999, when eight teams launched what was touted as a new era in the local game, the League had grand plans for growth and sustainability. Perhaps the writing was already on the wall by the end of the first season when the exit of Port Fortin Civic Centre, who turned up for a fixture with six players and were immediately axed, left the League one club short.

The problems never went away. In 2004, Tobago United played 21 league matches, conceded 128 goals and ended with zero points. In 2005, notwithstanding their spectacular underachievement, they were again on the League roster.

Given the existing zonal football structure, a promotion and relegation system is essential to ensure the competitive spirit and bolster the prestige of the Pro League. But because the majority of Pro League teams struggle to meet their financial obligations, the zonal outfits seem not to believe that promotion is worth the monetary outlay and expansion remains a huge problem.

Early last month, St Ann’s Rangers axed four players for participating in the “minor” leagues. The club claimed to have taken this action to preserve the integrity of the League, a claim that sounded hugely hollow when it was learnt that the players’ monthly salaries are in the region of $2,000 and are frequently paid late as well. Surely respect goes both ways.

The truth, however, is that, because there is no functioning players’ union, the clubs are unnaturally powerful and there are frequent claims of abuse and intimidation of players.

In the middle of the just concluded season, Tobago United were expelled from the League after officials tired of turning a blind eye to their repeated failure to meet their professional responsibilities; Petrotrin had earlier withdrawn even before a ball was kicked.

It is a minor miracle that Jabloteh survived the collapse of their title sponsor, CL Financial, but it is anybody’s guess whether the “San Juan Kings” will still be around when the League re-starts in August.

Jabloteh have won a record four crowns since the birth of the professional game, including two of the last three Pro League titles; their fall to the anonymity of mid-table is one example of the financial frailty besetting the local game. It is not unrelated to Defence Force’s sudden re-emergence as the team to beat.

Government grants for “community-based” clubs are the main source of income for nearly half the League while most of the others rely on corporate sponsorship. However, last year’s change of government brought a decrease in State funding while the uncertain economic conjuncture also took its toll.

Fully funded by taxpayers’ money, Defence Force took maximum advantage.

In the last four seasons, the “Teteron Boys” finished sixth, eight, fifth and seventh respectively. But, when teams like Jabloteh, W. Connection and, to a lesser extent, Joe Public, were forced to trim their budgets, the soldiers seized control. It does not mean that the 2010/2011 Defence Force squad was larger or more gifted than its predecessors or its rivals.

If anything, Russell was finally able to compete on an even footing and the young coach proved his ability by outgunning more experienced counterparts like Stuart Charles-Fevrier (W. Connection), Terry Fenwick (Jabloteh), Jamaal Shabazz (Caledonia AIA) and Michael McComie (Ma Pau).

The Pro League probably never saw anything like Defence Force’s reaction to the starter gun last April. The solders tallied 10 wins from their opening matches-eleven but for the expulsion of Tobago-and by the time W. Connection held them to a goalless draw on December 17 in Couva, they were already looking like champions-in-waiting.

Devon Jorsling grabbed the headlines and again finished as the League’s leading scorer but the speedy Kevon Carter proved just as difficult to contain in the first half of the season-before he suffered a broken leg-while Jerwyn Balthazar, Keston Williams, Corey Rivers and Aklie Edwards also gave noteworthy performances.

Defence Force should be stronger next season thanks to the addition of the National Under-23 trio of Curtis Gonzales, Kevin Molino and Glenroy Samuel to their ranks; Jorsling’s defection to United States ‘A’ League outfit, Orlando City, will leave a considerable hole up front.

One might argue that they displayed a lack of depth this term, securing a mere two victories from their last seven games prior to the Jabloteh curtain closer to just stumble over the finish line. But, against Fenwick’s men in Port of Spain, Russell’s soldiers made their point.

For the first hour of that encounter, the combustible Fenwick rarely got off his bench but the Defence Force had long knocked the stuffing out of their San Juan opponents. The match was a timid affair.

In the stands, the Defence Force Steel Orchestra beat a frantic tempo while the scantily clad “Digicel Girls” bounced about but it was at odds with the slow pace on the field and the lack of passion from the majority of patrons.

At the final whistle, as soldiers yelped and hugged, spectators streamed towards the exits looking as though they had witnessed a documentary.

Defence Force rules again. But, until the Pro League manages an emotional connection with the thousands of Trinidad and Tobago football fans, there are likely to be no real winners in the local game.