Romany: Exciting times for Pro League
BY NIGEL SIMON
Trinidad Guardian
LARRY ROMANY, chairman of the Professional Football League (PFL) believes the league is beginning an important and exciting phase in it’s history.
He said so while addressing the media at the launch of the 2006 PFL season at the North Room, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wrightson Road, on Wednesday.
Romany noted that the PFL has turned the corner and is now well on course. However, he cautioned that there are challenges still to overcome.
“A lot of work has gone into raising the creditability and viability of the league,” said Romany.
He pointed out that the return of the Joe Public club to the league and the T&T Football Federation (T&TFF) accepting a PFL proposal to manage the National Super Football League showed that progress has been made.
Romany said it was heartening to hear the kind words expressed by Fifa vice-president Austin Jack Warner at the media conference on Wednesday, “as it is no secret that Warner withdrew Joe Public from the PFL three years ago due to dissatisfaction with the operations and doubts about the future of professional football.”
Romany, who is also president of the T&T Olympic Committee, admitted that when he accepted the appointment as chairman of the PFL close friends and some in the T&TOC questioned his sanity.
“The additional fact that I had no football pedigree as such, may have caused some concern to some in the football fraternity, while others questioned my agenda in accepting the honorary position.”
He added:
“It has been a difficult and taxing three years, where at times the only thing that kept me going was an indomitable self- belief and an unwavering commitment to provide the talented footballers of T&T with an honest means of using their god- given talent.”
The chairman believes that the important ingredients were, the refusal to let anyone talk the league out of having a big vision, not accept excuses, or to make lack of money be the scapegoat.
“We created a culture of innovation, hired a well-qualified chief executive officer (Dexter Skeene) with football pedigree and gave him, his staff and the marketing committee the freedom to think out of the box and try new ideas, no matter how outrageous they may have seemed”.
Romany also praised the support the league has received from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Tobago House of Assembly and corporate sponsors, such as First Citizens Bank, Sports and Games, Lucozade Sports, Toyota, Sportflex, KFC and Courts, who supported the league’s new ideas in marketing and promoting the league.
He said the PFL has taken on the challenge of expansion, in addition to managing the Super League, because doing so was necessary if the PFL league is to improve the quality and standard of football.
“The significance and implication of this cannot be understated. In the three years we have always maintained open and honest dialogue with the T&TFF and its special advisor Jack Warner.”
Referring to confrontations between the PFL and the T&TFF, Romany said:
“There would have been times when we may not have seen eye-to-eye on things, but always in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual respect.
“Under my watch I have always insisted that the PFL is not in competition, but in partnership with all the football stakeholders and Warner’s endorsement of the efforts we have made to keep the league alive is deeply appreciated.
“His vision, passion and commitment for T&T’s football is unquestioned. He never wavered in his vision or doubted that T&T will one day make it to a Fifa World Cup,” ended Romany.
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