walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
A new new Football League pre-season is set to kick off July 12 and will cater for all the teams in the T-League which comprises 24 teams.
Yesterday Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed the pre-season tourney will be sponsored by a foreign company which supplies sports clothing, gear and other equipment.
The investors are expected to pump a substantial amount of money towards the competition, Guardian Media Sports was told that the league system will be played in a round-robin format in the different tiers.
The 10 teams from the Tier 1- W Connection, the 2018 League winners, North East Stars, Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, Police, Central FC, Point Fortin Civic, Club Sando, Defence Force, Morvant Caledonia United and San Juan Jabloteh are all scheduled to begin battle in the each-team-plays-each team competition, for a winning prize of $250, 000, and much needed practice ahead of the coming season which begins in September.
The second placed team in tier 1 will take home a handsome $150, 000 while the third place team will walk away with $75, 000. However, league organisers are still trying to arrange a prize structure for tier 2 of the League, that will feature action among 14 teams- FC Santa Rosa, Queen's Park FC, Prisons FC, Cunupia FC, Guaya United, Police FC, Matura Re-United, the University of T&T (UTT), RSSR Football Academy, San Fernando Giants, Petit Valley/Diego Martin United, Bethel United, Club Sando and Erin FC.
The official launch of the league is set to take place on a date to be announced next week, but one organiser who spoke on conditions of anonymity said the league is awaiting written approval from the parent T&T Football Association which is being headed by David John-Williams.
"We have received verbal approval, but we are awaiting approval in writing before the fixtures can be drawn up. The tournament is being held specifically for the purpose of preparing teams for the coming season so it will be completed in time in September," explained the official who is closed to the latest developments.
Meanwhile, an official release from the seven-man Commission formed to guide the new T-League has confirmed the teams for 2019 season. Guardian Media Sports was reliably informed that a third-tier competition is being lobbied for by the T&T Super League clubs that did not play in the 2018 season after they were deemed non-compliant or could not pay the required registration fee.
It understood the clubs are reluctant to return to Regional Association football (Northern FA, Souther FA, Eastern Counties Football Union, Central FA, Eastern FA and the Tobago Football Association.