Digicel Pro League kickoff postponed by State of Emergency
ttproleague.comThe 2011-2012 Digicel Pro League Championship will now begin on Friday 9 September at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and not the previously stated Friday 26 August date.
The shift in kickoff dates was an outcome of the present limited state of emergency implemented by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in six crime “hotspot” areas in north, east, south and central Trinidad in a bid to clamp down on criminal elements.
The “hotspot” areas are the City of Port of Spain, the City of San Fernando, the Borough of Arima, the Borough of Chaguanas, the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation and the Diego Martin Regional Corporation.
A 9pm to 5am curfew is in force, beginning last Sunday which puts the Ministry of National Security into action—hence TT Pro League clubs Defence Force FC and Police FC players were summoned to duty.
Further to that, it is the clear view of the League that the support of football matches will be directly affected even if the matches were scheduled to earlier times and not the regular 6pm to 10pm period.
TT Pro League CEO Dexter Skeene stated: “It would be difficult in many instances for players, coaches and spectators to get home before 9pm even if we played the matches earlier.”
He further added, “Taking all of the circumstances into consideration and in the national interest, we thought that it would be prudent to postpone the start of the 2011-2012 season to Friday 9th September.”
“The TT Pro League sees itself as part of the solution to give youths a positive avenue to develop their abilities and as such will do everything in its power to assist in reducing the level of impact crime has on our country and this is even more reason for us focus on sport to help curb crime,” Skeene continued.
“It is also important to understand what the League is doing for over 3,000 persons, mostly youths, which include residents of crime hotspots, in giving them a way of life other than crime,” Skeene ended.
