THE Marabella Football League (MFL), one of the oldest community football leagues in Trinidad and Tobago, is in dire need of assistance to sustain its continued existence.
Tournament director Tracey Caesar told the Express that the 2017 season, which was scheduled to begin on July 9, is yet to get going due to financial and other constraints.
“I got the necessary approval from the San Fernando City Corporation for the use of the recreation ground at Battoo Avenue, Marabella, which is our usual venue,” Caesar explained. “However, instead of the small tractor that is customarily used to prepare the ground, a big tractor was sent on a day rain fell and its wheels made several indentations in the ground which rendered it unfit for use.”
Caesar said the engineer from City Hall made a site visit and agreed that the ground would have to be backfilled and graded before it could be used, but he was still awaiting word as to when the remedial work would be carried out.
“The second issue, and probably the most important one, is the issue of support from the corporate sector. “The league represents an annual heritage event in Marabella and by extension San Fernando, having begun in 1962 —the same year of us gaining independence—and having served as a deterring factor to many youths going down the road of crime.