Cool It, Coca battle for Fishing Pond football title

DAVID SCARLETT

THE 2025 edition of the Fishing Pond Football League will culminate in a showdown between two of the tournament’s most entertaining teams. Cool It FC and Coca All-Stars will contest for this year’s title, and the $15,000 grand prize, at the Fishing Pond Recreation Ground, Sangre Grande, on March 29, at 7.30 pm.

Cool It beat home team Fishing Pond United 3-0 in the semifinals on March 23 and Coca defeated Manzan United 2-0 to book their place in the final.

The runners-up will earn $8,000.

This year’s competition is the first since 2019 following the covid19 pandemic and the passing of the tournament’s founder, Prakash Ramkissoon, in 2021. It is also the first edition to be played under floodlights.

It kicked off of January 4 and consisted of 16 community-based teams, primary from East Trinidad, who battled in a round-robin format. The first stage of the competition had two groups of eight teams where each team played seven matches and the top four from each group advanced to the quarterfinals or “Big 8”.

Churchill Sookoo, a member of the Fishing Pond community, and a former player in the competition, is now the organiser of the tournament.

In an interview with Newsday, he said that the league’s purpose is to create positive recreation for the Fishing Pond community and surrounding areas. He is not seeking to commercialise the competition, but wishes to provide a platform for his people to invest their energy into a positive initiative.

The final will be preceded by the third place playoff between Fishing Pond United and Manzan United at 5.30 pm at the same venue. They will play for a $4,000 prize.

Both matches will be streamed live on M&E TV’s YouTube channel, as well as the Fishing Pond Football League YouTube channel. Entry for supporters at the ground is free.