See also
- Association football in Trinidad and Tobago
- League system, for a list of similar systems in other countries.
| Country | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|
| Sport | Association football |
| Promotion and relegation | Yes |
| National system | |
| Federation | Trinidad and Tobago Football Association |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Top division | Premier Football League |
| Second division | Premier Football League 2 |
| Cup competition | |
| Association football in Trinidad and Tobago | |
The Trinidad and Tobago football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels and is governed by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association at the national level. There are over eight individual leagues, containing more than ten divisions. [1] The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 10 clubs per division implies that more than 100 clubs are members of a league in the Trinidad and Tobago football league system.
At the top is the single division of the TT Pro League (which is often referred to as the "top flight"), containing ten clubs. Below the Pro League is the National Super League (Level 2), which contains 13 clubs. All the teams in the Pro League are full-time professional teams, but the Super League is semi-professional containing a few clubs that have close affiliations with Pro League clubs.
Outside the top two levels of the pyramid, at Levels 3 and 4, are the six regional football association leagues. Each regional association operates its own respective top division (Level 3): Premier Division (Central Football Association), Premier Division (Eastern Football Association), Football Union (Eastern Counties), Premier Division (Northern Football Association), Premier Division (Southern Football Association), and Premier Division (Tobago Football Association).these clubs are amateur, The amateur leagues that operate a second-tier division (Level 4) are the Northern FA, Southern FA, and Tobago FA.
Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.
Beyond Level 2 the pyramid becomes regional and the cups become accordingly regional. Further down the pyramid is split on a football association basis, with each association having their own cups accordingly.
The table below shows the current structure of the system. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name, and number of clubs is given. At levels 1–4, each division promotes to the division(s) that lie directly above it and relegates to the division(s) that lie directly below it.
Level | League(s)/Division(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | TT Premier Football League | |||||
2 | TT Premier Football League 2 | |||||
3 | Central FA Premier Division | Eastern FA Premier Division | Eastern Counties Football Union | Northern FA Premier Division | Southern FA Premier Division | Tobago FA Premier Division |
4 | None | Eastern FA First Division | None | Northern FA First Division | Southern FA First Division | Tobago FA First Division |
5 | None | None | None | None | None | Tobago FA Second Division |
The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association. The National League System has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels. For details of leagues above and below the National League System, see the English football league system.
The Welsh football league system is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them.
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isle of Man also competing. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the theoretical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system, the Premier League. Below that are levels 2–4 organised by the English Football League, then the National League System from levels 5–10 administered by the FA, and thereafter Regional feeder leagues run by relevant county FAs on an ad hoc basis. It also often happens that the Premier Division of a Regional Feeder League has its constitution given to it by the FA. They have to accept it or appeal but can not reject it at an annual general meeting.
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to describe all football played at levels below those of the Premier League and the three divisions of the English Football League. Currently, a non-League team would be any club playing in the National League or below that level. Typically, non-League clubs are either semi-professional or amateur in status, although the majority of clubs in the National League division are fully professional, some of which are former EFL clubs who have suffered relegation.
The TT Premier Football League is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad and Tobago football league system. Contested by ten clubs, the league is one of the world's few football leagues that does not operate on an automatic system of promotion and relegation. Seasons run from September to May, with teams playing 18 games each totaling 90 games in the season. Most games are played in the evenings of Fridays and Saturdays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. TT Premier Football League clubs also play in other competitions, such as the FA Trophy, League Cup, TOYOTA Classic, Goal Shield, and Pro Bowl against domestic clubs from other divisions; and against clubs from other countries in the CONCACAF Caribbean Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The FA Women's Premier League National Division was a football division in England. From 1991 until 2010, the National Division functioned as the top league in English women's football. During its final three seasons, the division operated as the second level of the league pyramid from 2010 to 2013. The division was played on a home and away basis, with each team playing each other twice, and points being awarded in the standard football format.
The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the governing body of football in Trinidad and Tobago. It is based in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football and including the men's and women's national teams. The TTFA is also responsible for sanctioning referees and football tournaments for leagues in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Japanese association football league system is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world. The leagues are bound by the principle of promotion and relegation; however, there are stringent criteria for promotion from the JFL to J3, which demands a club being backed by the town itself including the local government, a community of fans and corporate sponsors rather than a parent company or a corporation.
The Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy, is the premier knockout tournament for teams in Trinidad and Tobago that is open to all clubs affiliated with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association. The FA Trophy is the oldest football competition in Trinidad and Tobago, dating back to 1927 when Shamrock claimed the inaugural trophy. Since the competition involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is the possibility for 'giant-killers' from the lower divisions of eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically win the trophy, although lower division teams rarely reach the final.
The TT Premier Football League 2 is a league for semi-professional association football clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the second-highest division of the Trinidad and Tobago football league system. The league currently comprises 19 teams between 2 leagues and operates on a system of relegation between those leagues. Although the Super League champion of each season can apply for membership in the TT Pro League, the two leagues do not operate on an automatic promotion and relegation system.
The 2009 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 80th season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament took place at the conclusion of the 2009 TT Pro League season. Caledonia AIA entered as the tournament's defending champion. The tournament commenced on 15 November, with 32 teams competing in single elimination matches and concluded on 9 December.
The 2010–11 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 81st season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. Joe Public entered as the tournament's defending champion, who defeated W Connection in the 2009 final. The tournament commenced on 17 November 2010, with 32 teams competing in single elimination matches and concluded on 25 January 2011.
The Republic of Ireland football league system currently consists of 12 levels. Traditionally association football leagues in the Republic of Ireland have been classified as either senior, intermediate or junior. These leagues are effectively national, provincial and district leagues respectively. The two highest level leagues/divisions, the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland First Division are both national leagues. Together they make up the League of Ireland. The third level currently consists of three provincial leagues – the Leinster Senior League Senior Division, the Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division and the Ulster Senior League Senior Division.
The 2008 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 79th season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. The tournament took place at the conclusion of the 2008 season. Joe Public entered as the tournament's defending champion. The tournament began on 3 December, with 32 teams competing in single elimination matches.
The 2011–12 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 82nd season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. San Juan Jabloteh entered as the tournament's defending champion, who defeated North East Stars 1–0 in the 2010–11 final at Marvin Lee Stadium. The number of entrants in the tournament was expanded by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association to allow four teams from the Secondary Schools Football League to compete in the competition against semi-professional and professional football clubs. The tournament began on 29 January 2012 with 36 teams competing in single elimination matches and concluded on 25 March 2012.
The 2012–13 Trinidad and Tobago FA Trophy was the 83rd season of the FA Trophy, which is the oldest football competition for teams in Trinidad and Tobago. Caledonia AIA entered as the tournament's defending champion, who defeated Defence Force 1–0 in the 2011–12 final at Manny Ramjohn Stadium. The tournament began on 5 December 2012 with 36 teams competing in single elimination matches and concluded on 1 March 2013 with the crowning of the cup winners.
The Malaysian football league system, also known as the Malaysian football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's football clubs in Malaysia. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the hypothetical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 10 clubs per division implies that hundreds of teams are members of a league in the Malaysian men's football league system.
The Malaysia M5 League is a group of leagues that make up levels 4 to 9 of the Malaysian football league system. The league was created in 2018 as a part of the Malaysian Football League’s plan to reform the Malaysia football league structure.
The Iraqi football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in Iraq. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the theoretical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. There are 4 individual levels, containing 8 leagues. The top flight is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association, while the other divisions are run by the Iraq Football Association (IFA).
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