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« on: July 05, 2023, 09:00:46 AM »
Same thing that always happens (and I remember commenting this in the last thread) - it's financially not viable.
Having a Caribbean league would involve a hell of a lot of international travel with hotels, ferries/planes, rented training grounds for away teams, the works. That's on top of players having to take more time off of work, which is a reality with our current levels.
And what financial return is realistic? How many currently tune in and turn up to the big Caribbean games? I remember many years ago barely anyone turning up to Central FC's home game in the Caribbean Champions League. No way any company makes a return, and making it a league compounds the issue as it has to happen so many more times than a knockout cup.
The Caribbean Cup needs financial support to exist, since CONCACAF force us to work through that medium to reach where the actual money is in the main competitions. The format is a product of financial reality - group stage based in one country where we can save money block-booking accommodation, referees, travel, and training facilities. It should, in my opinion, also be regionalised if it is expanded, i.e. into at least 4 groups gathering local countries.
The whole professional/not professional split is arbitrary and also massively increases the cost for the "non professional" teams, who consequently have to do more than one set of travel. If you want a realistic Caribbean competition you'll need to have 6 groups of 6 (biggest nations/highest ranked by CONCACAF coefficients get two entrants), heavily regionalised (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Trinidad, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana for example, or wherever makes for the cheapest flights/ferry), with 8 going through to a final qualification tournament.