Fatima, Pres Sando meet in SSFL Cup on Sept 7
Fatima College, the reigning national Secondary Schools Football League Boys’ Premiership Division champions and Coca-Cola Inter-Col title-holder Presentation College of San Fernando, will kick off the 2024 season of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) when they meet in the season opener on Saturday, September 7 at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Bagatelle Road, Diego Martin, from 4 pm for the NGC Cup.
This was announced by Laurence Seepersad, Assistant Secretary of Operations of the SSFL, at the launch of this year’s 60th edition of the SSFL at the St. Madeleine Meeting Room, The Brix Regency, Coblentz Avenue, Cascade, St Ann’s on Wednesday.
The match against Presntation College will be Fatima College’s second straight appearance in the season opener after they went under to St. Benedict’s College 3-4 in the Premier Division NGC Super Cup clash, which was contested between the Premier Division ‘Big Four’ champions and the National Inter-Col winners to kick off the 2023 season at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo last year.
For the duration of the 2024 SSFL season, which runs from September to December, 101 schools have registered to compete across both boys and girls divisions, with 246 teams in the boys and 80 among the girls, combining for more than 7,000 plus students and athletes.
This year’s Premier Division will comprise 16 teams, with Fatima College and Presentation College of San Fernando being joined by four-time winners Naparima College, Arima North Secondary, St Benedict’s College, East Mucurapo Secondary, San Juan North Secondary, Queen’s Royal College, Speyside Secondary, Malick Secondary, St Mary’s College, and St Anthony’s College, and the promoted trio of St Augustine Secondary and Signal Hill Secondary, both former national league and Inter-Col champions, as well as Miracle Ministries Pentecostal, who will make their Premier Division debut in the competition with the final round of matches set for Friday, November 1.
Speaking at the launch, Stephen “Byson” Williams, manager of the Fatima staff, said the expectations of the team will be to go after all four titles at stake.
He said, “Starting with the NGC Cup against Presentation, we will be targeting the four titles up for grabs, with the North Zone Inter-Col, the National Inter-Col, and the defence of our national league title the others.”
“We know it’s going to be tough considering some of our key players, like captains Christian Bailey and Jaden Williams, are moving on to Europe and the USA, respectively, while goalkeeper Triston Edwards has also moved on.
“At the same time, we still have the reigning SSFL Player of the Year, Michael Chaves, who is coming back from a broken leg with us along with the same defence from last year, and together with the promotion of some Under-16 players, we should have a good team.”
At the end of the 2023 season, Hutson Charles-coached Fatima College, led by Chaves, dethroned St. Benedict’s College as Premier Division kings when they finished with 40 points from 15 matches, five ahead of the southerners, to end a 45-year league title and secure the team’s third national league crown overall after lifting its first title in 1973.
And in the national Inter-Col final, captain and goalkeeper Kanye Lazarus first pulled off a penalty save in regulation time before adding two more in the shoot-out to lead the Shawn Cooper-coached Presentation College of San Fernando to a 7-6 sudden-death penalty-kicks win over St. Anthony’s College after an entertaining 0-0 draw and their third Inter-Col title at the national level in school history.
As in previous years, there will also be Zonal Championship Division competition for both boys and girls in the Central, East, North, South, and Tobago Zones.
In the girls competition, Tobago Zone winners Scarborough Secondary, inspired by the SSFL ‘Girls Player of the Year’ J’Eleisha Alexander, hammered East Zone’s Five Rivers Secondary 6-0 to retain their National Secondary School Girls Football League ‘Big-Five’ title and will start as joint favourites to repeat alongside reigning National Inter-Col Girls champions and five-time winners Pleasantville Secondary, led by Nikita Gosine.
Among the sponsors for this year’s SSFL season are First Citizens, Coca-Cola, NGC, Trend, and Sportsmax.
2024 SSFL Zonal Championship participants:
Boys:
East: El Dorado West Sec, Holy Cross College, Hillview College, El Doardo East Sec, St George’s College, Valencia Sec
North: Diego Martin Central, Blanchisseuse Sec, Tranquillity Sec, Trinity College, Mucurapo West.
South: Pleasantville Sec, Ste Madeleine Sec, Point Fortin East Sec, Moruga Sec, Siparia West Sec, Rio Claro West Sec.
Tobago: Scarborough Sec, Mason Hall Sec, Pentecostal Light & Life, Roxborough Sec, Bishop’s High School
Central: Carapichaima West Sec, Carapichaima East Sec, Miracle Ministries PHS, Chaguanas North Sec, Holy Faith Convent, Chaguanas South Sec.
Girls:
Central: Carapichaima West Sec, Miracle Ministries PHS, Holy Faith Convent, Carapichaima East Sec, Chaguanas North Sec, Chaguanas South Sec.
East: Bishop’s Anstey East, Sangre Grande Sec, El Dorado East, San Juan North Sec, Five Rivers Sec, St Augustine Sec.
North: Bishop’s Anstey High (PoS), Blanchisseuse Sec, Diego Martin Central, Holy Name Convent (PoS), St Joseph’s Convent, Tranquillity Sec.
South: St Joseph’s Convent (San F’do), Princes Town West Sec, Pleasantville Sec, Palo Seco, Moruga Sec.
Tobago: Signal Hill Sec, Speyside High, Mason Hall Sec, Roxborough Sec, Pentecostal Light & Life, Bishop’s High, Scarborough Secondary School.
SSFL NGC
September 7 match
Fatima College vs Presentation College (San F’do), D/Martin Sporting Complex, 4 pm
SSFL Premier Premier Division Round One:
Wednesday, September 11:
All matches kick off at 3.30 pm
Arima North Sec. vs St Benedict’s College, to be advised
Naparima College vs East Mucurapo, Lewis St Grd, San F’do
Presentation (San F’do) vs Miracle Ministries, to be advised
San Juan North Sec vs QRC, San Juan North Sec Grd, Bourg Mulatresse
Speyside Sec vs Malick Sec, Speyside Sec Grd
St Augustine Sec vs Fatima College, Warren St, St Augustine
St Mary’s College vs St Anthony’s College, St Mary’s Grd, St Clair
Trinity College East vs Signal Hill Sec, Trincity
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