Clubs welcome TTCB National League changes

THE 2025 Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) National League Premiership I season bowls off on February 1 with two key changes.

This year, the two lowest finishers will not be relegated to the championship division and the top two championship teams will not be promoted to the top tier.

Additionally, each team can field only one foreign player for each match day. Teams can still have two foreign players in the squad, but can only be used at the same time for the 50-over and T20 tournaments.

Before these changes were made by the TTCB in December, it was already confirmed that the 2025 National League would feature ten teams instead of the usual eight.

This meant that Merry Boys and Preysal, who were supposed to be relegated for this new season, stayed in the premiership, and will be joined by 2024 north and south championship winners Prisons Sports and Yorkshire respectively.

TTCB first vice-president Arjoon Ramlal said the decision to allow a two-year cycle for promotion and demotion was made to help teams, particularly the weaker ones, get more time to acclimatise to the top-flight and elite-level competition.

An overall winner would still be declared at the end of this season, and no points would be carried over to the 2026 season.

“The intention is that 2025 could be used as a developmental year where the clubs would play some younger and aspiring players,” Ramlal said.

“The evidence shows that championship clubs that get promoted, more often than not, are more likely get demoted at the end of that season. They are not able to settle in and get accustomed to the higher division of cricket and give them playing time with clubs that have more experience.”

“It was a choice to give them a little more time to settle themselves, and in two years, they should be able to handle their stories in that particular division. Younger players would also get more time and opportunity to play at that level.”

Ramlal confirmed that the regulations would be tweaked to accommodate these changes and the process involved the clubs and the executive, and was “mutually acceptable by the vast majority.”

Baldath Mahabir, president of premier one club Clarke Road United welcomed the change, describing it as a “season of reset” where clubs can have a chance to develop without the pressures of promotion (championship) and demotion (premiership).

He sees good short-term benefits from this decision, particularly for the younger generation of players. However, while he welcomes the change, Mahabir hopes teams remain competitive throughout the season, with the threat of relegation now eliminated.

“I would not like to see it be the same way going forward (after this season) because it must remain competitive. While the non-competitive aspect will have some fallout for sure, in terms of the quality of the league, in the short term, it may be beneficial.

“In the short term, you may have expensive players in your club, but you know you’re not playing for any promotion and may want to blood young, cheaper talent, and not use the more expensive senior players, which could lead to a decline in the standard of the league,” he said.

Asked how his team would manage this season, Mahabir said the club does not see it as a challenge.

“We welcome it because we’ve always been a club big on development and giving young players a chance, and we will continue. I don’t see it making a huge difference to us except that we may limit the involvement of foreign players. We may not bring in any foreign players and just give young players a chance to develop.”

In response to if the change would affect championship clubs seeking premiership status in 2026, Mahabir replied, “There is no perfect solution. I suppose what the clubs at the lower division could do, is the same thing; press reset, have a look at how you could restructure and reengineer your club, ways to raise money.”

Adrian Ali, president of premier one club Bess Motors Marchin Patriots said the format of the league should not matter since clubs are the ones that have to maintain their reputation, keep their operations running, and, most importantly, keep producing talent for TT and West Indies cricket.

“The decision about the league format will come and go, but the burden of developing players and sustaining the game falls heavily on the clubs. That’s the core of the discussion, no matter the changes made,” he said.

“It seems the intent is to offer more stability and a longer-term outlook for teams to plan their strategies, rosters, and development programmes. However, that doesn’t come without its concerns, especially around the lack of promotion and relegation, which is typically a key motivator for competitive balance in the league.”

On the switch to use one foreign player per match, Ali believes it could be a significant shift, especially for clubs that rely on overseas players for added experience and depth in their squads.

On the flip side, he thinks it might make things more challenging, but also presents an opportunity for local talent to step up and shine.

“We’re taking a strategic approach to managing our players through the two-year period. We’ll be focusing on developing our youth, ensuring we maintain a solid mix of experienced players and fresh talent. The aim is to stay competitive while also providing our younger cricketers with the opportunity to grow and contribute,” Ali added.

He said managing workloads, ensuring fitness, and keeping the players motivated for such a long stretch will be key priorities for Marchin.

Ali said the two-year cycle does present some challenges when it comes to managing finances, especially if clubs are paying players. Without the usual stakes of promotion or relegation in the first year, there’s a possibility that sponsors might view the developmental focus as less urgent, which could impact funding.

“For clubs like ours, it means we’ll have to be even more strategic in managing our resources to ensure we can continue supporting our players and staff throughout the two years. As for the squad, we aim to retain a core group of players for continuity and to maintain team chemistry. The focus during the developmental year will be on giving younger players more opportunities to step up, while still relying on our experienced players to lead the way.”

National League Premiership I First Round Fixtures

Feb 1-2

QPCC vs Merry Boys – Queen’s Park Oval, PoS

Marchin Patriots vs Yorkshire – Marchin Grounds, Charlieville

Powergen vs Preysal – Syne Village, Penal

Central Sports vs Prisons Sports – Invaders Recreation Ground, Felicity

Clarke Road vs Victoria – Clarke Road, Penal