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Offline Flex

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SSFL President and staff Thread.
« on: April 10, 2017, 05:49:46 AM »
Former TTFA Manager and SSFL first vice-president William Wallace is now the new Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president as former president Anthony Creed opted not to seek re-election.

2017 List;

William Wallace - President.
Tevon La Rose - Vice-President.
Phillip Fraser - First vice-president.
Azaad Khan - General secretary.
Gerard Elliot - Assistant secretary admin.
Lawrence Seepersad - Assistant secretary operations.

« Last Edit: April 10, 2017, 05:58:01 AM by Flex »
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Deeks

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2017, 07:29:34 AM »
Trepidation!!! Lawd!!!!

Offline Sam

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2017, 06:44:24 AM »
In T&T yuh could get wok easy once you was in power, from one manager wok to de other.

Wallace !!

Please...

Faster than a speeding pittbull
Stronger than a shot of ba-bash
Capable of storming any fete


Offline Flex

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2017, 03:57:19 AM »
San Juan North ruling expected in midweek; new SSFL president vows to go digital
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868.com).


New Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) president William Wallace has vowed to take schools football into the digital age, introduce an office and full-time secretariat for the body and strengthen ties with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA).

Wallace, the former SSFL first vice-president and a past Secondary Schools Cricket League president, was elected unopposed to the helm of the school football executive on Saturday 1 April after former president Anthony Creed opted not to seek re-election.

Wallace also served as manager of the Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team squad under former coach Stephen Hart and managed several national youth teams in football and cricket.

The ascension of the Carapichaima East teacher apart, there was little change in the SSFL executive. Phillip Fraser (San Juan North) moved from second to first vice-president while Azaad Khan (formerly of Malick), Gerard Elliot (formerly of St Benedict’s) and Lawrence Seepersad (Carapichaima East) held on to their portfolios as general secretary, assistant secretary admin and assistant secretary operations respectively.

Trinity College Moka teacher Tevon La Rose is the only new inclusion on the executive and will serve as second vice-president.

The first order of business, though, is the controversial matter of the use of ineligible players during the 2016 Premier Division, which will impact on the line-up of schools in the top division this year. Presentation College (San Fernando) and East Mucurapo Secondary were both penalised for using ineligible players last season.

Presentation, who were punished for flouting SSFL rules through the use of Trinidad and Tobago National Under-20 defender Kori Cupid, accepted their charge—although they insisted it was an inadvertent error. As a result, an alteration in the points tally of affected teams saw Queen’s Royal College belatedly climb out of the relegation places with San Juan North, the 2016 Coca Cola Intercol champions, taking their place.

East Mucurapo, who fielded lower six student and defender Abdus Ramcharan with three passes—one shy of the required four passes of sixth form students—opted to appeal the SSFL’s decision against the school. And, after losing that, chose to go to arbitration.

Wallace refused to publicly share the decision of the arbitration panel, although it has already been forwarded to the affected schools. However, Wired868 understands that the arbitration panel ruled against Mucurapo.

It means that Mucurapo East will also be relegated while Fatima College escape at the death.

But there is one last decision to be made. Should San Juan North receive special dispensation to stay up next season?

The boys from Bourg Mulatresse appeared to have done enough to survive at the end of last season, only to have the rug pulled out from under them due to the indiscretions of other teams. The counter-argument, of course, is they have only themselves to blame for not amassing enough points to stay afloat, especially with a team that had enough talent to win the National Intercol crown.

There is precedence for the relegation of the Intercol champions, as East Mucurapo were demoted despite clinching the prestigious knock out trophy in 2014.

Wallace believes the SSFL can avoid a repeat of such a fiasco with office staff and a computerised database.

“I sent a letter out to the Minister of Sport asking for office space for the SSFL and we are hoping to get space [at the Ato Boldon Stadium] in Couva, which is a centralised location,” Wallace told Wired868. “We are now 50 years old and we have been operating out of a car trunk for that length of time. With TT$2 million annually coming into this league, it is about time we have a steady secretariat. Some of the problems we have been having in the past were probably because [we did not have] that.

“Also we want to have a computerised database [which will] eliminate some of the problems that happened last season… We already have somebody setting up the required databases for us.”

Another proposal by the new SSFL president include a first responder program, which will ensure that schools have the capability to act decisively in medical emergencies. In this case, Wallace had an eye on the tragic death of Jamaican schoolboy Dominic James, which occured during a match on the north Caribbean island last September.

He also wants to create a SSFL website and a public forum that would allow feedback on areas that the league can improve. And, while former executives often said that the schoolboys league was about recreation for students, Wallace wants to do more to help the TTFA source and develop talent.

In July, he hopes to have ‘B’ and ‘C’ licence courses for school coaches while he will reach out to the TTFA on the matter of talent identification for national youth teams.

“We all have the same objective but we are operating in silos,” said Wallace. “I think the secondary schools have a crucial role to play in the development of youth football because we have the resources, the facilities and we have the young men and women for about six hours a day, five days a week.

“So we want the TTFA to sit with us and work out how we can have a formal arrangement to help raise the level of the football.”

Still, Wallace has much to appreciate in the platform left by his predecessor, Creed. A former Diego Martin Secondary PE teacher, Creed served on the SSFL executive since 1994 and became president in 2013.

During his tenure, local school’s football entered the Premier Division era in 2014 while there was also a landmark US$1.5 million television rights deal with Digicel/SportsMax that started last season.

Creed said he feels especially proud of the opportunities provided by SportsMax’s airing of matches in the United States and Canada which have led to scholarship opportunities for players from schools outside of the beaten path.

“Some schools already have links with colleges abroad but there are still many that don’t,” Creed told Wired868. “So the SportsMax coverage meant universities were calling them for information on particular players and it increased the landscape for scholarship opportunities. Some student footballers also asked SportsMax for clips which they got and shared with scouts…

“There were a number of people who questioned the [Premier Division] system when we started and I told them to wait and have a talk with me again after a year. Most of them came back to me and said it served its purpose.”

Creed also explained why the big money television deal did not lead to inflated cash prizes for successful teams, as some had hoped.

“Some schools were very interested in increasing prize money and I insisted that all schools should benefit [from the television rights money],” said Creed, who ensured that all 112 schools received between TT$8,000 to TT$11,000 for the season. “The alumni schools have their system in place and do well but the government schools sometimes struggle to fund their teams and they were grateful for the extra help.

“This is not a professional league, it is about development. But that was just me and, going forward, it is up to the schools to decide what they want.

“I, Anthony Creed never ever had ambitions to become president of secondary schools football. They asked me and I did my best. And although last year we voted to have stipends for administrators, I begged that it start in the first week of April when I knew I would have demitted office. It was my pleasure to serve gratis.”

Creed offered a vote of confidence for his successor, Wallace, who worked alongside him for eight years on the SSFL executive.

“I am confident that the new president can take the league forward,” said Creed. “He has the experience and the knowledge and I know that schools football is in good hands.”

Wallace’s tenure will start with an emotive decision though.

Will the SSFL executive send San Juan North down to the second tier alongside Pleasantville Secondary and East Mucurapo? Or should they stay up in a 16-team league that also includes newly promoted Speyside Secondary, Carapichaima East and Trinity College East?

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2021, 04:23:59 AM »
WATCH: 2021 SSFL Presidential Candidate Interview with Phillip Fraser. Mr. Fraser is a director at San Juan Jabloteh, a former vice-principal of San Juan North Secondary, a SSFL first vice-president and current interim president. Among a range of topics, he renders comment on technical development, constitutional reform and raising the recruiting profile of SSFL players.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/8ZzqJUCxLkY&amp;t=3171s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/8ZzqJUCxLkY&amp;t=3171s</a>
« Last Edit: April 14, 2021, 04:51:07 AM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2021, 04:50:36 AM »
WATCH: 2021 SSFL Presidential Candidate Interview with Merere Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales, Chairman of the SSFL East Zone, is a former teacher at Mt. Hope Secondary and was an assistant referee at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 1998 Concacaf Gold Cup, and 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup.  Among a range of topics, he renders comment on the SSFL in the context of COVID reality, the role of the SSFL within the hierarchy of national football and partnership versus sponsorship.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/P4wHn4FBl_4&amp;t=2663s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/P4wHn4FBl_4&amp;t=2663s</a>
« Last Edit: April 14, 2021, 05:14:07 AM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2021, 06:14:54 AM »
WATCH: 2021 SSFL Presidential Candidate Interview with Derek West. Mr. West is a former secretary of the South Zone and former principal of Trinity College East. At Trinity College East he deepened the school's sports participation. Among a range of topics, he renders comment on holistic student-athlete development and strengthening the SSFL as an institution.   

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/61wUJxyJDyc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/61wUJxyJDyc</a>

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2021, 05:21:34 AM »
The results of the SSFL elections were released yesterday.

I've seen a media release from the SSFL that represented the distribution of the votes among the three candidates for president as: 56, 28 and 28 votes respectively (a tally of 112). That release also indicated the VP vote distribution as 64 and 38 votes between the two candidates for that office (a tally of 102). There is no indication of abstentions that explains the stated tallies/disparity. Σ disparity=10.

That stated, Wired868's reporting presents the presidential vote distribution as: 56, 26 and 26 (a tally of 108) and the VP distribution as: 64 and 28 votes (a tally of 92). Σ disparity=16.

While it is evident that the result is lopsided, was there a Wired868 typo? Perhaps.

However, taking the SSFL media release as authoritative, a statement of the abstentions (or absences, if any) in the media release would have been helpful and should have recognized that question could arise.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2021, 05:35:51 AM by asylumseeker »

Offline Flex

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2021, 06:29:36 AM »
Merere Gonzales elected as Secondary Schools Football League president.
By Andrew Gioannetti (T&T Newsday).


AFTER weeks of campaigning, aided by a host of sterling personal endorsements, long-time football administrator, referee instructor and retired teacher, Merere Gonzales, has been elected president of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL).

Gonzales, who also remains SSFL East Zone chairman, secured 56 votes and a comprehensive victory during a virtual count at the SSFL's annual general meeting, on Thursday morning.

He received twice the number of votes as his two challengers, Derek West and the incumbent Phillip Fraser (28 apiece); both of whom Gonzales applauded for their contributions to schools' football in a subsequent interview with Newsday.

The post of first vice-president, the only other contested, was won by Essiel Seecharan with 64 votes to Tevon La Rose's 38 votes.

The other "national officers" to serve the 2021-2023 term are Syandene Blackman-Walsh (second vice-president), Laurence Seepersad (assistant secretary–operations), Gerald Elliot (assistant secretary/treasurer–administration) and Azaad Mohammed-Khan (general secretary/treasurer).

A number of coaches and teachers gave Gonzales solid backing throughout the campaign, describing him as "accountable" and "dependable," with many having known him for much of his 30-plus years with the SSFL, working as secretary, assistant secretary, vice-chairman and chairman.

The 60-year-old told Newsday while his extensive experience at the administrative, education, committee and officiating levels of football may have worked in his favour, it was his decision to take the campaign seriously and the support he received that sealed the win. He said, "I'm a person who says, 'if I can't do it very good or excellent, I will not do it.' So if I get into something, I will give it my very best and God will bless the rest."

Gonzales said previous SSFL presidents, like Fraser, William Wallace, Anthony Creed and others, produced "quality work," and he wanted to be ready to add value.

"These are guys I've worked with for a number of years, and it's reached the point where I said, 'listen, I feel I have what it takes,' not that I couldn't have done it before because I was being encouraged to go before but I told myself I didn't think I was ready.

"Now I feel that I am in a prime position, an advantageous position, to take take this baton with the executive, with the membership, run another leg, run a brighter leg, so that the SSFL will – the image and status of it – will be shining brightly."

Gonzales retired from teaching at Mt Hope Secondary in 2017, where he was a physical education teacher since 1988.

During his time there, he became involved in other sports, like swimming, netball, rugby, hockey, cricket and basketball. He serves basketball in the East Zone as secretary.

"The core of my involvement in sport and more specifically football," Gonzales said, "is to assist the younger ones and more so the student-athlete because as a teacher, all I would have done in my teaching profession has been for the benefit of the students."

He is undoubtedly one of the most traveled football officials in T&T, having first been nominated by the local governing body's refereeing committee in 1994 as a FIFA international referee. Now he is a member of the FIFA Referee Committee for Concacaf and works both as an instructor and referee inspector.

"I got into refereeing in 1988 and two years after, I was considered for the first role as a FIFA linesman as it was then known but (that didn't materialise) because I needed to at least reach grade A, and at the point in time I was a grade B."

Gonzales said he was happy in the end because, his close friend, Douglas James, a former teacher at Malick Secondary, was appointed instead.

James, now 71, is the first official from the Caribbean to be appointed to serve at a men's World Cup, representing TT and the region at 1994 World Cup in the US, officiating as first assistant twice and second assistant referee twice in four matches.

Gonzales went on to officiate at a number of international and club football tournaments, most notably at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia and the 1998 World Cup in France. Later on, he became a Concacaf and FIFA fitness instructor from 2002 and a FIFA referee's technical instructor a year later, before serving in various capacities for World Cup tournaments at all various levels.

The new SSFL's president said regardless of the status of football and sports in general by September, he will do all he can to ensure that young footballers do not become demotivated and walk away from the sport. "We are planning for a (schools') league in September but we have to be realistic." He suggested the hosting a scaled-down version of the game, like Futsal, for example.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #9 on: April 22, 2021, 09:37:26 AM »
WATCH: SSFL Round Table, part 1 of 4: Discussion with former Trinidad and Tobago football players, Cornell Glen, Travis Mulraine, Yohance Marshall, and Richard Goddard, about the Secondary Schools Football League. They talk about what it is and what it should be, the structure, focus, content and emphasis.

Among the items raised in this segment: futsal as complement to 11 v 11 in a time of Covid, first exposure to seeing themselves filmed while playing or training, first playing experience outside of T&T and the SSFL as a forum for developing football.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/rGgXVKyAQDc&amp;t=1864s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/rGgXVKyAQDc&amp;t=1864s</a>
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 12:36:01 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2021, 09:49:27 AM »
WATCH: SSFL Round Table, part 2 of 4: Discussion with former Trinidad and Tobago football players, Cornell Glen, Travis Mulraine, Yohance Marshall, and Richard Goddard, about the Secondary Schools Football League. They talk about what it is and what it should be, the structure, focus, content and emphasis.

Among the items raised in this segment: restructuring of football and perception of coaching/respect for coaches within an education system, Cornell on the Youth Pro League, Yohance on what a defender needs to transition into professional football and does the SSFL need a technical department?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/z_llvob-za4&amp;t=2019s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/z_llvob-za4&amp;t=2019s</a>
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 12:35:40 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #11 on: April 22, 2021, 09:55:44 AM »
WATCH: SSFL Round Table, part 3 of 4: Discussion with former Trinidad and Tobago football players, Cornell Glen, Travis Mulraine, Yohance Marshall, and Richard Goddard, about the Secondary Schools Football League. They talk about what it is and what it should be, the structure, focus, content and emphasis.

Among the topics raised in this segment: Is the SSFL only relevant because the Youth Pro League and Pro League are dysfunctional and poorly monetized? And, the reduction of the maximum age for playing in the SSFL.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/vh_yLxGrnAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/vh_yLxGrnAM</a>
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 12:35:21 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #12 on: April 22, 2021, 10:09:38 AM »
WATCH: SSFL Round Table, part 4 of 4: Discussion with former Trinidad and Tobago football players, Cornell Glen, Travis Mulraine, Yohance Marshall, and Richard Goddard, about the Secondary Schools Football League. They talk about what it is and what it should be, the structure, focus, content and emphasis.

Among the topics raised in this segment: substitution and rotation of players, diversity in T&T football, and the best players with whom they played who did not progress to a future in football.


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/hbna8ozzcqk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/hbna8ozzcqk</a>
« Last Edit: April 22, 2021, 12:35:04 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline Tiresais

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #13 on: April 22, 2021, 03:13:37 PM »
Really interesting stuff

Offline Tallman

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Re: SSFL President and staff Thread.
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2021, 04:45:23 PM »
WATCH: Interview with recently elected SSFL President, Merere Gonzales

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/gYIW37irr-g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/gYIW37irr-g</a>
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

 

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