Secondary Schools Football League launches Online Skills Showdown

THE inaugural Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Online Ball Juggling Skills Showdown competition was launched virtually on Thursday, and it will provide an avenue for the current crop of secondary schools students to show their footballing skills in a different forum, in the absence of on-field activity due to covid19 restrictions.

The participants will have to use their school football uniform (jersey, pants, socks and footwear). Registration began on Thursday and forms must be returned to the SSFL no later than December 3.

There will be four divisions - boys and girls 16-and-Under (born on or after January 1, 2005) and boys and girls 20-and-Under born on or after January 1, 2001). The Under-16s, in their demo presentations, will have a limit of 45 seconds while the Under-20s will have 90 seconds, on any surface.

The demos must be submitted no later than December 17 to ssfl.ato@hotmail.com and azaadmk@gmail.com.

Five national players (past and present) will comprise the judges’ panel - current Trinidad and Tobago women footballers Maylee Attin-Johnson and Karyn Forbes, interim president of the Unified Football Coaches of TT (UFCTT) Jefferson George, Strike Squad captain Clayton Morris and Makan Hislop.

During the launch, SSFL president Merere Gonzales said, “We have been discussing and deliberating on this particular event for some time. We were trusting that we would have the physical on-the-field football.

“Due to the fact that the global pandemic impact continue to have that negative repercussion on the world, and more so Trinidad and Tobago, and as much as the SSFL would have put in place all the necessary health and safety protocols to be able to embark on such a challenge, we still needed to get the sanction, and the permission from the relevant authorities to have the 11-a-side or physical football.”

With regards to sponsorship, Gonzales said, “There are two specific sponsors who would have shown interest but, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to engage them at this point in time. We are still under discussion concerning contractual agreements but, certainly moving forward, they will be there with us to support similar events.”

Asked about prizes for the victorious entrants, Gonzales replied, “Awards would be supported by the League. Because it is an activity for students, we have to refrain from giving cash prizes. The prizes will be very impressive, fantastic and wonderful.”