The T&T Football Association (TTFA) has sought to clear the air on the pending T&T Super League application for membership, saying it fully supports the move by Super League clubs to manage its own competition, but noted a number of steps must first be followed for this to become a reality.
In a release yesterday, the T&TFA headed by David John-Williams, announced the proposed TTSL must first become a duly constituted body governed by a constitution approved by the TTFA. Though a deadline of February 18th has been set for an Extraordinary General Meeting of the TTFA to approve the membership of the TTSL, the release stated that, "To be recognized as a duly constituted body governed by a constitution approved by the TTFA, the proposed TTSL needs to submit correspondence to the General Secretariat of the TTFA, enclosing a hard copy of the its proposed constitution and requesting that the same be ratified by the TTFA."
It added, "Should the General Secretariat of the TTFA receive the proposed TTSL's constitution, a request will be made to include an application for membership as an Agenda item on the next permissible statutory Board meeting. As an approved Agenda item, the proposed TTSL's constitution will be reviewed and subsequently returned for ratification and adoption, including changes, if any, by the current clubs playing in the National Super League."
"In consultation with the TTFA, the proposed TTSL will convene special meetings of the current clubs playing in the National Super League to adopt the proposed constitution and hold elections pursuant to same. Providing that the constitution is adopted and elections are called to fill all positions identified by its constitution, the proposed TTSL will then become a duly constituted body that can apply to the TTFA for membership."
"As a duly constituted body submitting for furtherance on its application for membership, the General Secretariat of the TTFA will request that the said matter be included as an Agenda item on the next permissible statutory Board meeting for deliberation. As an approved Agenda item, the Board of the TTFA will consider the proposed TTSL's application for membership in its entirety before a vote is taken. Should the vote be in support of the proposed TTSL application for membership, and pursuant with Article 9.1 of the TTFA's constitution, an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) needs to be called, guided by Article 29.1 of the TTFA's constitution, to facilitate deliberation by the TTFA's General Meeting Delegates.
Conscious of the extensive nature of the process previously outlined, the Board of the TTFA committed a subcommittee, as well as the General Secretariat, to engage the proposed TTSL representatives in discourse and activities that will allow this membership application to be processed in the shortest possible time."
The football association reminded the TTSL that at the time of its initial submission, the proposed TTSL's interim committee prematurely applied for membership, since, the National Super League has been, and still is, a TTFA competition whose operations are outsourced.
It noted, "The representatives of the proposed TTSL have since positively responded to the advice relayed, specific to the application for membership process by submitting their constitution on January 26th, 2017, and have accepted the Board's gesture to meet with the subcommittee designated by the Board. By all foreseeable projections, the subcommittee of the TTFA's Board and the representatives of the proposed TTSL will meet prior to the next scheduled statutory meeting of the FA's Board on February 15 2017."