Author Topic: What to do about these empty stadia in Concacaf Club and local football ?.... (Read 4671 times)

dreamer · « **on:** November 01, 2009, 10:39:41 PM »

I eh know about allyuh fellas, but I felt sick, disappointment, puzzlement, anger, shame and also let down by my country as a whole, when we had the honour of having 2!, (not 1) teams in the Concacaf Club championships via nailbiting qualifications, with man staying up all night begging fuh a link on dey computer and fuh far away international TV broadcast to watch Connection and Jabloteh, only to see us host the rare American and Central American teams in EMPTY STADIA!!!!!!! despite the potential myriad of spin-offs (not to mention a 12th man boost for further promotion) ....

So I have some questions, some of which have been addressed before as serious talks and some as passing jokes.

1. Simply who should be considered to have a stake in successful football TT Proleague teams?
2. Who therefore should be contributing to ensure attendances are high?
3. Is it too much to expect a radio announcers to say, "Massive!, the game is at de Hasely, de Mannie etc, be there at 8 PM and support our teams like de Hondurans do theirs" ?
4. Is it too much to ask the Minister of Sport to say well I will put in my 2 cents as it is a matter of national pride just like World Cup qualification?
5. Is it that the football environment is so poisoned by the ill will of Jackula, that nobody wants to have anything to do with it? Ordinarily football is a good money spinner that attracts business and entrepreneurs quickly in other parts of the world.
6. Should we blame the inconveniently located stadia in the too-late-to-travel-in crime-infested Trinidad for the poor turnout? Should simple local SSFL type fields be used then?
7. Is it just plain foolish to expect football fans to leave a community to watch a football game in a distant sterile stadium when the whole point of the fan frenzy is built on defending yuh tribal turf and benefiting from all the convenient resources and personnel right there in yuh own town especially in new tough economic times.
8. After seeing W Connection handle the Central Americans and seeing a depleted Jabloteh without their Egypt players there is no reason why we cannot be on top in Concacaf club football with a whole new industry in TV, radio, food, culture and spin-off contracts flourishing.
9. Who is the real ultimate impediment to reform and progress if this is so difficult to achieve? Jackula, Scamps, gRodent, Skeene, TV6, Express, De Guardian, Newsday, Club coaches, The Minister of Sports, The Prime Minister, The businessmen, The uniquely self-loathing T&T public, Lincoln Phillips, Gally, Cornmeal, I95.5, FPATT, Socawarriors.net, nobody, the economy, T&T bandits, cricket lovers? North people, central people, south people, Trinis as a whole. Who?!!!! Should the future games be sent to Tobago then? Drastically cut ticket prices and it will be a sea change? Make it free for school children?
10. Is it just the camera angle which is positioned stupidly in the stand with the people and the camera faces the stand with NO people. Daiz de problem then? So yuh never know when the crowds are increasing as yuh never see de damn crowd .. and yuh know Trini like crowd. Can the opposite side of the field ever accommodate the electronics without a stand configured for this?
11. What about the Ministry of Tourism? Yuh getting free TV time all over Mexico because of Pumas, Honduras, Washington DC and many spanish speaking stations in Guatemala with these games shown live and yuh eh interested in a li'l appearance to say we pushing event tourism and convention center business meetings at de Hyatt or have a billboard on the opposite side of the field to say so in english and spanish. Same thing for the Energy sector.

GODFATHER · « **Reply #1 on:** November 02, 2009, 04:58:26 AM »

WOW, That's a lot of different topics you have posed here but I will try to give my opinions on as many as possible. Having lived in the US for a almost half my life and recently moving back I used to ask the same questions and over the past year I have been coming up with answers based on what I have seen. I will speak on my experience attending games in South Trinidad.

The PRO League is a PRIVATE enterprise in Trinidad. I have heard that teams can get subsidies from the Govt but I don't now much about it. With that said the I don't believe that their is a common agenda in T&T for football. Football has been a part of our culture for generations but people can't go out and support it if they don't know that it's happening. If you look at the MLS who's attendance was awful in their early years it grew steadily each year and now they have an almost guaranteed turnout for each game. This had a PLAN that was properly executed. It is my belief that the PRO league in Trinidad does not have this. On a scale of 1-10, I would give the league the lowest grade for marketing and advertising. I don't live far from Mannie Ramjohn Stadium and if I don't aggressively search out information on games I would not know what is going on. The League web site gives information on games a few days before they will take place so no one can really plan to attend these events. There are NO billboards, very little news paper, TV and radio coverage. These things cost money and the league does not make any money so they are in a vicious cycle that will continue until they come up with a 5 to 10 year plan to develop the league. Understand that they will loose money beginning but know the point at which they will strategical meet their targets to become a sustainable business. With a plan in place I am sure they will be able to get sustainable Govt and Corporate sponsorship.

I will say that for the Concacaf Champions League games the turn out was much different. The camera view would not allow you to see this as the camera is on the side of the Stadium where most fans sit. We're not going to get 10,000 fans to these games but the turn out is 100 times the attendance of a regular league game in South. I will say this there was a huge noticeable difference between the product on display for a Champions League game versus a league game and possibly because there is special funding from Concacaf for this.

In my opinion right now the league is made up of 12 organizations. The 11 teams that take part and the League office. Each with their own agenda. "Together we Aspire, Together we Achieve" does not exist in Trinidad though it's the country's MOTO. Until this happens this is what will happen. Joe Public, W Connection and probably Ma Pau will survive because they have deep pockets behind them. Defence Force, Petrotrin and Police will survive because they are basically Govt sponsored. Cal AIA have a nice team but I hear they are struggling financially. With Clico out the picture I'm not sure what's going to happen to Jabloteh. The other 11 spots may just get rotated by teams that will come and go by enthusiastic people getting involved but unable to meet the reality of maintaining a team in the league past a few years.

dreamer · « **Reply #2 on:** November 02, 2009, 07:12:54 PM »

Ok GF. Good point about the marketing. I wouldn't be surprised if CIC boy Skeene has a MBA or some other degree from the States and that such a degree incorporates a fair amount of marketing. Is the marketing and business knowledge of this guy or his associates lacking? I want to know where exactly is the weak link or links so that the responsible person(s) could be approached. The unexplained dysfunction of the league bothers me.

I noted your point about the narrow individual agendas of the football clubs but I feel it's not their responsibility to be one love with each other in their development plans but policy from above should dictate national developmental goals. Looks also pretty dismal that you predict that only a few teams will survive. However if the league where to spawn regional successes, energize crowds, collect at the gates, achieve decent dollar transfers of a say a Fana Frias, Baptiste, Hector, Leon, Egypt under 20 players, Britto, Keeper Samuel, Cornel Glen (already done), then enough money could share around to keep the Caledonias, Petrotrins and Northeast Stars alive.

GODFATHER · « **Reply #3 on:** November 02, 2009, 08:33:09 PM »

The major issue with this league is MONEY. The teams don't have to share their development plans but if they shared a joint marketing and advertising plan then the cost will be shared equally and this will increase attendance which in the long run will benefit all involved. There needs to be some sort of joint effort by all teams to grow the league. I would suggest contacting the league directly, maybe getting Skene's email address and send him your suggestions. If he's not egotistical he should be receptive and be open to suggestions to help him accomplish the league's objectives.

Most of the players who have transfered to leagues in Europe come from the few top clubs so the money stays with them. There needs to be some way to put balance and parity in the league either through a draft system like the NBA or NFL or like with the MLS where parity is controlled to an extent by a salary cap. Th eonly way this league will survive IMO is by teams being feeder clubs for bigger global leagues and this I believe is attainable but if the likes of Connection, Joe Public and Jabloteh attract all the top players because of their ability to pay better salaries then they will control all the revenue from player sales.

Skene can be the best businessman in the world but without resources he faces an impossible task but I question his ability because I see ZERO attempts to properly market this league. If you look at their web site today it has not been updated since Friday's game results so we know when and where the next round of games will be held. How would the poor mad allocate his limited resources to football if he doesn't know whats going on this coming weekend?

Compare the following sites
http://www.schoolsportcentre.com/sports.php?action=football and http://www.ttproleague.com/cms/

Deeks · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2009, 08:34:18 PM »

This league from the very beginning has been fighting an uphill battle to stay alive. All the points you guys have posted are valid and well taken. I have met Dexter once in NY and I honestly think this guy wants to to the do best and has done the best that he could for this league to survive. But he fighting a losing battle if he can't get money to help them clubs stay afloat.

Although football maybe popular(I ain't so sure), pro-football is definiely not making people excited in TT. There are several reason which I have posted before. As we have seen in the successful Euro leagues money talks. Our league need a huge infusion of money for it to produce the results we want. I don't want to mentioned the gov't. They can do so much. The business community are the ones who needs to step up and forge alliances with each club. Sorry to say, the businessmen in TT don't see it that way. There are exceptions to the rule, but that is not enough.

Pointman · « **Reply #5 on:** November 02, 2009, 09:13:55 PM »

This is one of my petpeeves subjects... the TnT Pro League. Marketing is the key!!! I will beatthat horse 'til it resurrect! I think the marketing should be from the grassroots. These teams need to getthe word out every week and make the general public more aware of fixtures etc.
When I was a boy growing up in Point Fortin I knew every game Civic had on their schedule just from word of mouth. Now we have all sorts of technologies at our disposal to get the word out and the teams don't seem to utilize them. Also the attendence back then(70s) was a lot better than what I see in those stadia today.

Deeks · « **Reply #6 on:** November 02, 2009, 09:24:49 PM »

Pointman,
Tell us how you doing this grassroot marketing. Are going out handling flyers, and bios, and club t-shirts to people in the streets or what? Give your idea of grassroot marketing.

Pointman · « **Reply #7 on:** November 02, 2009, 09:58:44 PM »

Quote from: Deeks on November 02, 2009, 09:24:49 PM

Pointman,
Tell us how you doing this grassroot marketing. Are going out handling flyers, and bios, and club t-shirts to people in the streets or what? Give your idea of grassroot marketing.

I think that's doable. Things like giving out t-shirts to the first 100 people, decorating the neighborhood in team colors on gameday; have a festive atmosphere at each and every game(that's how we did it in point, every sunday was like carnival). Let the players become an integral part of the community. Broadcast the games on the radio and TV(if possible)Trini style, not like them boring men they have now(straight local lingo sans cussing) ,thing to excite man. Sometimes I listen to the TnT games and shake my head in disgust...no excitement at all.

Deeks · « **Reply #8 on:** November 02, 2009, 10:43:40 PM »

Pointman,
That is a good idea. But the clubs themselves have to take the iniative though. I know when Jabloteh had all the money from Clico, they use to do some community outreach, but all that probably done now.

Another problem I have with league is the location of the stadiums as to where the clubs are. Some of them teams playing their home games too far from their home base. Like I said before, jabloteh and AIA should play in Aranquez. Build an small stadium and let the 2 of them share it. Let Rangers, Mau Pau and DF play in a small stadium(turf field)in GeoV park. It will ease on the wear an tear on the HCS field. I have no solution for Arima and central. Two areas have stadium but no viable local team. Especially Arima(it is a damned shame). Connection has part of central and the whole of south(maybe up to princess Town) to themselves. But like fellas indicated, marketing and huge infusion of cash can go a long way in enticing the waggonists to leave their x-box and playstations and support their local teams.

fishs · « **Reply #9 on:** November 03, 2009, 05:03:36 AM »

Quote from: Deeks on November 02, 2009, 10:43:40 PM

Pointman,
That is a good idea. But the clubs themselves have to take the iniative though. I know when Jabloteh had all the money from Clico, they use to do some community outreach, but all that probably done now.

Another problem I have with league is the location of the stadiums as to where the clubs are. Some of them teams playing their home games too far from their home base. Like I said before, jabloteh and AIA should play in Aranquez. Build an small stadium and let the 2 of them share it. Let Rangers, Mau Pau and DF play in a small stadium(turf field)in GeoV park. It will ease on the wear an tear on the HCS field. I have no solution for Arima and central. Two areas have stadium but no viable local team. Especially Arima(it is a damned shame). Connection has part of central and the whole of south(maybe up to princess Town) to themselves. But like fellas indicated, marketing and huge infusion of cash can go a long way in enticing the waggonists to leave their x-box and playstations and support their local teams.

The siting of the stadii was a problem in the first place. It was myopic by Jack and his cronies in the UNC at the time.
Each locale has its own football supporters but what they did is site these stadii away from the center of support.

Larry Gomes : Should have rehabilitated the Velodrome.
Mannie Ramjohn : Should have rehabilitated Skinner Park
Dwight Yorke : They should have used Shaw Park
Marvin Lee : Taguarica ground (TESCA ground)
Ato Boldon: Should have been Brechin Castle. (Where W Connection is now)

They should have built one in Coronation Park and Point Fortin.

Simple, simple, now the teams that are based in these stadii have to wait for gradual build up.

GODFATHER · « **Reply #10 on:** November 03, 2009, 07:33:50 AM »

Quote from: fishs on November 03, 2009, 05:03:36 AM

Quote from: Deeks on November 02, 2009, 10:43:40 PM
Pointman,
That is a good idea. But the clubs themselves have to take the iniative though. I know when Jabloteh had all the money from Clico, they use to do some community outreach, but all that probably done now.

Another problem I have with league is the location of the stadiums as to where the clubs are. Some of them teams playing their home games too far from their home base. Like I said before, jabloteh and AIA should play in Aranquez. Build an small stadium and let the 2 of them share it. Let Rangers, Mau Pau and DF play in a small stadium(turf field)in GeoV park. It will ease on the wear an tear on the HCS field. I have no solution for Arima and central. Two areas have stadium but no viable local team. Especially Arima(it is a damned shame). Connection has part of central and the whole of south(maybe up to princess Town) to themselves. But like fellas indicated, marketing and huge infusion of cash can go a long way in enticing the waggonists to leave their x-box and playstations and support their local teams.

The siting of the stadii was a problem in the first place. It was myopic by Jack and his cronies in the UNC at the time.
Each locale has its own football supporters but what they did is site these stadii away from the center of support.

Larry Gomes : Should have rehabilitated the Velodrome.
Mannie Ramjohn : Should have rehabilitated Skinner Park
Dwight Yorke : They should have used Shaw Park
Marvin Lee : Taguarica ground (TESCA ground)
Ato Boldon: Should have been Brechin Castle. (Where W Connection is now)

They should have built one in Coronation Park and Point Fortin.

Simple, simple, now the teams that are based in these stadii have to wait for gradual build up.

Excelent point about the location of the Stadiums. I too believe that older venues should have been rehabilated. It's a real shame the decision they made but it has already been done so we have to work with it.

The clubs do play far from their home base but with proper marketing this can be remedied by putting together transportation for fans.

Over the past few years the quality of the league was really crappy. I have seen improvement this season and it comes as an account from having players playing football full time over the past few years but a lot of work has to be done to pring the fans back to football. As a business man in T&T I wouldn't support the league in it's current condition bacause it's just trowing money away. There really needs to be a long term marketing plan in place to encourage the businessmen to attach their business name and image to the product.

Touches · « **Reply #11 on:** November 03, 2009, 07:36:56 AM »

Community pride aside...

The pro league standard is not good enough to make the average man or their supporters PAY MONEY to go and see them.

e.g. I have a partner who was a pro and played ball overseas...he grew up playing with and against members of the national team. His response to PAYING MONEY to see the national team and or a pro league game is a big steups....that boy ent good...i used to hit that level blade long time...I ent paying money to see he.

Now...that is one example...but it transpires to the community...the same community who the support is supposed to come from...not going to PAY to see a neighbour, a limer, a youthman on the block who they teach how to do a spanner play ball.

They will come, they will support, they will cuss yuh in the stands, but they ent going and pay no money.

Another point...Gang warfare is a part of life in T&T now and players on teams are affiliated with certain gangs. Supporters by extension are part of the gang too....hence they stay away.

Crime is a very real thing down here and people stop going out at night liming, travelling etc.

Now for the average fan who like football....I paying money for cable, internet and xbox/ps3 online...why should I leave my house to fight up with bandit to watch Kerry Baptiste. When I could watch drogba and torres and home in comfort.

Further...why if the game coming on FSC...and I done pay for it in meh monthly bill...I hadda travel from town to reach quite manny ramjohn and take rain, traffic and bandit.

Not a 4k of that...I stay home and watch every Concacaf Champions league game home. Maybe I contributing to the problem and i ent providing a solution...but I have no attachment to W-con and I not leaving my house to pay no money to see dem.

Football is not a sport...it is entertainment...until the powers that be figure out the value for money entertainment package that can compete with internet, tv, xbox/ps3, movietown and dvd man and whatever else people have to do...they will forever see empty stadia.

elan · « **Reply #12 on:** November 03, 2009, 08:17:43 AM »

Quote from: Touches on November 03, 2009, 07:36:56 AM

Community pride aside...

The pro league standard is not good enough to make the average man or their supporters PAY MONEY to go and see them.

e.g. I have a partner who was a pro and played ball overseas...he grew up playing with and against members of the national team. His response to PAYING MONEY to see the national team and or a pro league game is a big steups....that boy ent good...i used to hit that level blade long time...I ent paying money to see he.

Now...that is one example...but it transpires to the community...the same community who the support is supposed to come from...not going to PAY to see a neighbour, a limer, a youthman on the block who they teach how to do a spanner play ball.

They will come, they will support, they will cuss yuh in the stands, but they ent going and pay no money.

Another point...Gang warfare is a part of life in T&T now and players on teams are affiliated with certain gangs. Supporters by extension are part of the gang too....hence they stay away.

Crime is a very real thing down here and people stop going out at night liming, travelling etc.

Now for the average fan who like football....I paying money for cable, internet and xbox/ps3 online...why should I leave my house to fight up with bandit to watch Kerry Baptiste. When I could watch drogba and torres and home in comfort.

Further...why if the game coming on FSC...and I done pay for it in meh monthly bill...I hadda travel from town to reach quite manny ramjohn and take rain, traffic and bandit.

Not a 4k of that...I stay home and watch every Concacaf Champions league game home. Maybe I contributing to the problem and i ent providing a solution...but I have no attachment to W-con and I not leaving my house to pay no money to see dem.

Football is not a sport...it is entertainment...until the powers that be figure out the value for money entertainment package that can compete with internet, tv, xbox/ps3, movietown and dvd man and whatever else people have to do...they will forever see empty stadia.

I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up. You could advertise all you want, when patrons sample the product, will it encourage them to return or walk away?

rotatopoti3 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 03, 2009, 08:20:09 AM »

why if the game coming on FSC...and I done pay for it in meh monthly bill...I hadda travel from town to reach quite manny ramjohn and take rain, traffic and bandit.

But wait nah Touches...what goe happen to d nutsman who trying to make ah living....and it aint have no fans in d stands.....yuh cant leave him to SALT so.....

dreamer · « **Reply #14 on:** November 03, 2009, 06:48:06 PM »

Well some of thes replies function like a mini survey of ideas and it seems that the punch line is:

1. Location, location location. No matter what the league does, the stadia location is a death sentence and if any attempt has to be made to save the league, then alternative fields must be used. Interesting to see how many impediments would for that now?
2. Marketing overhaul needed.
3. Competence and trust overhaul needed. As a reslt, no money from business and no money means "forget it"
4. Crime deterrent is profound especially for games scheduled at a late evening hour in de night.
5. Going to see local and even Concacaf club football with teams like Pumas and dem just eh worth it, especially when yuh could raff a live feed on Socawarriors.net and "to besides" the talent eh good.

The future eh looking good people. I guess is time to pack up, throw in de towel and give up on T&T as de bes' minds on the blog have given the verdict. Sorry Deeks, yuh was right, ah was really dreaming in trute. $:-\$

Coop's · « **Reply #15 on:** November 04, 2009, 10:22:52 AM »

I think Touches said it best when he said the quality of the Football in the country is what keeping people away from the game.Where use to have more violence in Football than England,the same thing goes on in Italy etc etc and it never kept anyone away from the game because it quality is what attracts.

Deeks · « **Reply #16 on:** November 04, 2009, 07:11:30 PM »

Guys,
my new solution. Scrap the league and go back to zones.

elan · « **Reply #17 on:** November 04, 2009, 08:12:42 PM »

Quote from: Deeks on November 04, 2009, 07:11:30 PM

Guys,
my new solution. Scrap the league and go back to zones.

Deeks yuh ah boss.

Deeks · « **Reply #18 on:** November 04, 2009, 09:29:51 PM »

San Fernando and the rest of south Zone1. East West Corridor league(POS to grande)Zone2. Central and Eastern Counties Zone3, Tobago Zone4. Then at the end of the season the top 2 in each zone and have a big 8, Leh we try that. If it ain't wuk, we go try something else.

elan · « **Reply #19 on:** November 04, 2009, 10:28:45 PM »

Quote from: Deeks on November 04, 2009, 09:29:51 PM

San Fernando and the rest of south Zone1. East West Corridor league(POS to grande)Zone2. Central and Eastern Counties Zone3, Tobago Zone4. Then at the end of the season the top 2 in each zone and have a big 8, Leh we try that. If it ain't wuk, we go try something else.

I could see that wukking. It helping intercol. People always want to rep where they from.

Pointman · « **Reply #20 on:** November 05, 2009, 01:19:53 AM »

Quote from: Deeks on November 04, 2009, 09:29:51 PM

San Fernando and the rest of south Zone1. East West Corridor league(POS to grande)Zone2. Central and Eastern Counties Zone3, Tobago Zone4. Then at the end of the season the top 2 in each zone and have a big 8, Leh we try that. If it ain't wuk, we go try something else.

are you still talking professional clubs though? because in order for football to improve the clubs must remain professional outfits.

dreamer · « **Reply #21 on:** November 05, 2009, 05:32:29 AM »

That is a crucial point by Pointman. What about the structure of Professional clubs and our participation in the Concacaf professional league (TT Proleague). Leh me hear yuh Deeks.

Coop's · « **Reply #22 on:** November 05, 2009, 01:24:33 PM »

Quote from: Pointman on November 05, 2009, 01:19:53 AM

Quote from: Deeks on November 04, 2009, 09:29:51 PM
San Fernando and the rest of south Zone1. East West Corridor league(POS to grande)Zone2. Central and Eastern Counties Zone3, Tobago Zone4. Then at the end of the season the top 2 in each zone and have a big 8, Leh we try that. If it ain't wuk, we go try something else.

are you still talking professional clubs though? because in order for football to improve the clubs must remain professional outfits.

Well Pointman the big question is,is it improving?are our players getting better?where are the crowds?the problems run right through all the systems and levels of Football in the country,the more we try to be professional the worse our Football gets,everybody wants to be paid and not producing,if we can't go forward then lets go back.

Deeks · « **Reply #23 on:** November 05, 2009, 05:04:02 PM »

Well,
Fellahs, leh try to dig myself out of a hole here. We have a "proleague". For a number of reason there is a disconnection with the fans. Very poor attendances. The biggest complain is that the ball is not attractive. How do we tell the PFL that their product stinks? Actually we are telling them something by staying away. How do we sit down and talk to Dexter about the league.

Some of us say better marketing. Do they have the money and/or desire to sell their product. What if they had better marketing and product is still crap? What do we do? A number of clubs have imported foreigners and we still not satisfied with the product. Guys the league in limbo and something got to give. I don't know how this league surviving.

To me only 3 clubs are real pro. The others are the gov't teams and the rest semi-pro or quarter-pro. Their is no stablity and affinity to some of the clubs. Clubs losing sponsors. People with money forming their own clubs and after a while it disappear. How can fans gravitate towards that. Fellahs, to be honest i don't have an answer or a solution. I just totally dispondent.

dreamer · « **Reply #24 on:** November 05, 2009, 06:10:43 PM »

Thanks for your honesty Deeks. Somehow ah feel that the forumites here get some joy from seeing a baby Proleague trying to make it. I found, an issue not discussed yet on this thread, is that it has raised the standard of our home-based players to the extent that we don't always have to call foreign based for matches anymore and players are much fitter than before. Take Baptiste for example who is a workaholic . Not true? The Digicel games coming up will benefit from local based constantly playing games trying to fight for Toyota cup, Big Six, League championships and Concacaf qualifications. Much more to be said. So chin up Deeks.

Deeks · « **Reply #25 on:** November 05, 2009, 06:36:03 PM »

Dreamer,
It is true some of the locals have shown signs of improvement. I agree with the fellahs. There are a few, Baptiste, Hector, Britto, Toussaint, Noel, Cupid, the goalkeepers have shown improvement. The position that has shown no kind of improvement is mid-field, both attack and defence. The lack of good strong mid-field is the real reason why we performed so pathetically in the Hex. That is what have me fustrated.

Yes, there is improvement but not sufficient and quick enough for the national team to be consistent in Concacaf.

Socafan · « **Reply #26 on:** November 05, 2009, 08:43:26 PM »

It eh have nothing to do with crime or quality of ball, and everybody saying the same thing but eh realizing it.

The league does not enjoy support because people eh EMOTIONALLY INVESTED in the teams. This is the same as location, location, location. One man say community pride aside, but really, this is exactly what it is about. This is ALL it is about.......TRIBAL.

Though yes it seems that too many Trinis are strangely self loathing, overall we cyar be that different from other humans can we!!?? Marketing is the problem. The teams must come from SOMEWHERE. Right now they come from companies, or from w connection or Mau Pau or somewhere so.....who dem and why I go have more than a passing interest in them? What kinda bullshit is that? It's a very elemantary oversight and you have to wonder what the founders of the league were thinking. Which team ah man could naturally feel he could latch on to and go watch play because tribal instinct making him want to fight down ah team from ah next area, just because they come from somewhere else? Check which teams have the largest attendance and check their names and and you will see the correllation is no accident.

Dexter Skeene is ah fictional leader of a bogus organization. It eh have no "pro-league". It have a bunch of companies with football teams trying to make some money by selling some players. If some half-way decent football play along the way, dais ok too. Its not about the fans coming out. They eh have to be there to sell a player. Right here on the forum, in ah interview where he sound like somebody force him to answer, man ask he how come the teams cyar at least pretend to be from a certain area to get some support going, and change their names, and he say, that not so easy to do. Really!!?? Who running the pro-league show?

Fans eh ah priority. So yuh have to ask yuhself, what is? Ah real pro-league needs to start up.

Coop's · « **Reply #27 on:** November 06, 2009, 10:50:50 AM »

Socafan you are so correct,when i talked about San Juan Jablotech had nodody from San Juan on the team,they don't practice or play in San Juan,even their club house, i got negative responses,these are some of the things affecting Football in T&T,change the stupid names some of those teams carrying.

King Deese · « **Reply #28 on:** November 06, 2009, 11:46:09 PM »

ooh larde oh oh oh oh
cantarde oh oh oh oh

Blue · « **Reply #29 on:** November 07, 2009, 05:01:26 AM »

Quote from: elan on November 03, 2009, 08:17:43 AM

Quote from: Touches on November 03, 2009, 07:36:56 AM
Community pride aside...

The pro league standard is not good enough to make the average man or their supporters PAY MONEY to go and see them.

e.g. I have a partner who was a pro and played ball overseas...he grew up playing with and against members of the national team. His response to PAYING MONEY to see the national team and or a pro league game is a big steups....that boy ent good...i used to hit that level blade long time...I ent paying money to see he.

Now...that is one example...but it transpires to the community...the same community who the support is supposed to come from...not going to PAY to see a neighbour, a limer, a youthman on the block who they teach how to do a spanner play ball.

They will come, they will support, they will cuss yuh in the stands, but they ent going and pay no money.

Another point...Gang warfare is a part of life in T&T now and players on teams are affiliated with certain gangs. Supporters by extension are part of the gang too....hence they stay away.

Crime is a very real thing down here and people stop going out at night liming, travelling etc.

Now for the average fan who like football....I paying money for cable, internet and xbox/ps3 online...why should I leave my house to fight up with bandit to watch Kerry Baptiste. When I could watch drogba and torres and home in comfort.

Further...why if the game coming on FSC...and I done pay for it in meh monthly bill...I hadda travel from town to reach quite manny ramjohn and take rain, traffic and bandit.

Not a 4k of that...I stay home and watch every Concacaf Champions league game home. Maybe I contributing to the problem and i ent providing a solution...but I have no attachment to W-con and I not leaving my house to pay no money to see dem.

Football is not a sport...it is entertainment...until the powers that be figure out the value for money entertainment package that can compete with internet, tv, xbox/ps3, movietown and dvd man and whatever else people have to do...they will forever see empty stadia.

I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up. You could advertise all you want, when patrons sample the product, will it encourage them to return or walk away?

U cud make it free and still noone would go. D standard so low, iz not even worth people time to go down and watch a game.