2011–12 TT Pro League

The 2011–12 TT Pro League season (known as the Digicel Pro League for sponsorship reasons) was the thirteenth season of the TT Pro League, the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1999. A total of eight teams contested the league, with Defence Force as the defending champions.[1] The season began on 9 September 2011 and ended on 29 March 2012 with the crowning of W Connection as the league champion.[2] Dexter Skeene, Pro League CEO, announced on 11 February 2011 that by aligning its seasons with those of the major leagues in Europe, the Pro League will afford the opportunity to further link culture with sport to harness and develop the talent of people in Trinidad and Tobago.[3]

TT Pro League
Season2011–12
ChampionsW Connection
4th Pro League title
4th T&T title
2012 CFU Club ChampionshipW Connection
Caledonia AIA
2013 CFU Club ChampionshipW Connection
Caledonia AIA
Matches played84
Goals scored238 (2.83 per match)
Top goalscorerRichard Roy (15 goals)
Biggest home winW Connection 8–1 Police (29 March 2012)
Biggest away winPolice 1–6 T&TEC (27 March 2012)
Highest scoringW Connection 8–1 Police (29 March 2012)

Following a runners-up finish in 2009 and being crowned champions in 2010, T&TEC were promoted from the National Super League to the Pro League on 1 March 2011.[4] However, on 15 July 2011, Skeene announced that Ma Pau would not be part of the upcoming season. On 10 August 2011, Skeene further announced that both Joe Public and FC South End would not be participating in the 2011–12 season.[5]

The start of the season was delayed for both Defence Force and Police by three months as Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a limited state of emergency due to the increased crime in portions of the country.[6] As a result, the Ministry of National Security services were implemented into full-fledged duties. The two teams returned to competition after curfew was lifted throughout Trinidad on 12 December 2011.[7]

The first goal of the season was scored by North East Stars' Seon Power against Pro League newcomer, T&TEC, in the eighth minute of the first game on 9 September 2011.[8] Richard Roy of Defence Force scored the first hat-trick of the season against St. Ann's Rangers on 31 January 2012.[9] Roy went on to claim his first Golden Boot award having scored 15 goals to lead the league for Defence Force.[10]

With a crushing 8–1 win over Police on the final match day of the season, W Connection claimed their fourth Pro League title. The winning match was the highest scoring of the season and featured two braces from Jerrel Britto and Andre Quashie.[11] On 30 June 2012, it was announced that due to financial constraints San Juan Jabloteh suspended their football club operations and would not participate in the 2012–13 season.[12]

By finishing as the league leader following the conclusion of the second round, W Connection qualified for the 2012 CFU Club Championship. In addition, by finishing second in the table, Caledonia AIA also qualified for the competition. Due to the change in the season calendar and the start of the CFU Club Championship in March of each year, the Caribbean Football Union and the Pro League agreed to award the league champion and runners-up (W Connection and T&TEC) qualification into the 2013 CFU Club Championship.[13] However, on 5 March 2013, T&TEC withdrew from the 2013 CFU Club Championship citing the club's financial situation as reason to not participate in the competition. As a result, Caledonia AIA entered the competition after finishing third at the conclusion of the league season.[14]

Changes from the 2010–11 season

The following changes were made since the 2010–11 season:

  • Dexter Skeene, Pro League CEO, announced that the league season would run from 9 September 2011 until 29 March 2012 to align itself with the major leagues in Europe.[3]
    • The start of the league season was postponed from 19 August 2011 to 9 September 2011 due to a state of emergency implemented by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in response to growing crime in areas of the country.[15]
  • There were a number of changes to the clubs competing in the 2011–12 season.
    • T&TEC were promoted from the National Super League as runners-up in 2009 and as champions in 2010.[16]
    • Joe Public withdrew from the league; reasons for the withdrawal were not disclosed.[5]
    • Ma Pau and FC South End withdrew from the league due to financial difficulties.
    • A three-year title sponsorship was agreed upon by Adam's Construction and San Juan Jabloteh.[17]
  • The following changes in qualification for the CFU Club Championship were made:
    • The top two teams with the most points in the qualifying table following the conclusion of Round Two qualified for the 2012 CFU Club Championship.[18]
    • The top two teams with the most league points qualified for the 2013 CFU Club Championship.[13]

Teams

Team summaries
Location of the 2011–12 TT Pro League teams

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Team Location Stadium Capacity Manager Captain
Caledonia AIA Morvant/Laventille Larry Gomes Stadium 10,000 Jamaal Shabazz Stephan David
Defence Force Chaguaramas Hasely Crawford Stadium 27,000 Ross Russell Corey Rivers
North East Stars Sangre Grande Sangre Grande Ground 7,000 Emerson Alcântara Charles Pollard
Police Saint James Hasely Crawford Stadium 27,000 Kelvin Jones Todd Ryan
San Juan Jabloteh San Juan Hasely Crawford Stadium 27,000 Earl Carter Cleon John
St. Ann's Rangers San Juan Hasely Crawford Stadium 27,000 Dean Pacheco Akil Clarke
T&TEC San Fernando Manny Ramjohn Stadium 10,000 Dexter Cyrus Clayton Ince
W Connection Point Lisas Manny Ramjohn Stadium 10,000 Stuart Charles-Fevrier Elijah Joseph

Player transfers
Further information: List of Trinidadian football transfers 2011–12

Managerial changes
Main article: List of TT Pro League managers
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Table Incoming manager Date of appointment Table
T&TEC
Promoted team
 Dexter Cyrus 9 September 2011[4] Pre-season
North East Stars Shurland David Sacked 26 September 2011[19]
7th
 Emerson Alcântara 25 October 2011[20]
3rd
St. Ann's Rangers Anthony Streete Sacked 29 February 2012[21]
7th
 Dean Pacheco 2 March 2012
7th
North East Stars Emerson Alcântara Sacked 13 June 2012
7th
 Angus Eve 13 June 2012[22] Post-season

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 W Connection (C) 21 13 1 7 32 20 +12 40 2012 CFU Club Championship Second round[lower-alpha 1]
2013 CFU Club Championship First round[lower-alpha 2]
2 T&TEC 21 11 6 4 36 19 +17 39
3 Caledonia AIA 21 12 2 7 34 28 +6 38 2012 CFU Club Championship Second round[lower-alpha 3]
2013 CFU Club Championship First round[lower-alpha 4]
4 Defence Force 21 9 5 7 32 28 +4 32
5 San Juan Jabloteh 21 7 6 8 29 30 −1 27 Team disbanded after season[lower-alpha 5]
6 Police 21 5 6 10 30 47 −17 21
7 North East Stars 21 5 5 11 21 27 −6 20
8 St. Ann's Rangers 21 4 5 12 24 39 −15 17
Updated to match(es) played on 29 March 2012. Source: TT Pro League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. W Connection and Caledonia AIA finished in the top two positions in the table following Round Two of competition and qualified for the 2012 CFU Club Championship.[23]
  2. W Connection and Caledonia AIA further qualified for the 2013 CFU Club Championship due to the change to a September/April season calendar and the withdraw of T&TEC from the CFU Club Championship.[13][14]
  3. W Connection and Caledonia AIA finished in the top two positions in the table following Round Two of competition and qualified for the 2012 CFU Club Championship.[24]
  4. W Connection and Caledonia AIA further qualified for the 2013 CFU Club Championship due to the change to a September/April season calendar and the withdraw of T&TEC from the CFU Club Championship.[13][14]
  5. San Juan Jabloteh suspended its football club operations and withdrew from the Pro League for the 2012–13 season.[12]

Positions by round
Leader
2012 CFU Club Championship Second round
2013 CFU Club Championship First round
Team disbanded after season

The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for the tenth round of matches, but then postponed and played between rounds 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for round 16.

Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021
W Connection455434333333222122221
T&TEC311111111111111211112
Caledonia AIA576888866444444433333
Defence Force223342444555555555544
San Juan Jabloteh132223222222333344455
Police888776677776768888666
North East Stars644555555667676666777
St. Ann's Rangers767667788888887777888
Updated to match(es) played on 29 March 2012. Source: TT Pro League

Results

Season statistics

Scoring
  • First goal of the season: Seon Power for North East Stars against T&TEC, (9 September 2011).[8]
  • Last goal of the season: Makesi Lewis for Caledonia AIA against T&TEC, (29 March 2012).[25]
  • First own goal of the season: Devon Modeste (St. Ann's Rangers) for W Connection. (16 December 2011).[26]
  • First penalty kick of the season: Stern John (scored) for North East Stars against San Juan Jabloteh (25 October 2011).[27]
  • First hat-trick of the season: Richard Roy (Defence Force) against St. Ann's Rangers, 25', 44', 73' (31 January 2012)[9]
  • Most goals scored by one player in a match: 3 goals
    • Richard Roy (Defence Force) against St. Ann's Rangers, 25', 44', 73' (31 January 2012).[9]
    • Vurlon Mills (T&TEC) against Police, 13', 62', 90' (27 March 2012).[28]
  • Widest winning margin: 7 goals
    • W Connection 8–1 Police (29 March 2012)[11]
  • Most goals in a match: 9 goals
    • W Connection 8–1 Police (29 March 2012)[11]
  • Most goals in one half: 6 goals
    • W Connection v Police (29 March 2012) 3–0 at half-time, 8–1 final.[11]
  • Most goals in one half by a single team: 5 goals
    • W Connection v Police (29 March 2012) 3–0 at half-time, 8–1 final.[11]

Top scorers
See also: Top TT Pro League goal scorers by season
Rank Player Club Goals[10]
1
 Richard Roy Defence Force
15
2
 Willis Plaza San Juan Jabloteh
11
3
 Sylvester Teesdale T&TEC
10
4
 Devon Modeste St. Ann's Rangers
9
5
 Devorn Jorsling Caledonia AIA
8
6
 Jerrel Britto W Connection
7
Jamal Gay Caledonia AIA
7
Ataullah Guerra Caledonia AIA
7
9
 Jason Marcano San Juan Jabloteh
5
Cameron Roget St. Ann's Rangers
5
Hector Sam San Juan Jabloteh / St. Ann's Rangers
5
Ryan Stewart Caledonia AIA / North East Stars
5

Hat-tricks
Main article: List of TT Pro League hat-tricks
PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef(s)
Richard RoyDefence ForceSt. Ann's Rangers*1–331 January 2012
[9]
Vurlon MillsT&TECPolice*1–627 March 2012
[28]
  • * Home team score first in result

Discipline
  • First yellow card of the season: Charles Pollard for North East Stars against T&TEC, 9 September 2011[8]
  • First red card of the season: Nicholas Valentine for St. Ann's Rangers against T&TEC, 21 October 2011[29]
  • Most yellow cards in a single match: 7
    • Caledonia AIA 3–2 T&TEC – 4 for Caledonia AIA (Nuru Abdallah Muhammad, Walter Moore, Ataullah Guerra & Devorn Jorsling) and 3 for T&TEC (Bevon Bass, Kern Peters & Sylvester Teesdale) (29 March 2012)[25]
  • Most red cards in a single match: 2
    • St. Ann's Rangers 1–1 T&TEC – 0 for St. Ann's Rangers and 2 for T&TEC (Sylvester Teesdale & Kevon Neaves) (6 January 2012)[30]

Awards

Annual awards

The 2011–12 TT Pro League awards distribution took place on 8 April 2013, over a year after the conclusion of the league season, at Capital Plaza in Port of Spain, Trinidad.[31]

Although W Connection claimed its fourth Pro League championship, Caledonia AIA was named the Team of the Year after the Stallions of Morvant/Laventille claimed the FA Trophy, First Citizens Cup, Lucozade Sport Goal Shield, and CFU Club Championship titles. Jamaal Shabazz was named the Manager of the Year after leading Caledonia AIA to its most successful season in club history. Richard Roy of Defence Force secured his first Player of the Year honour after the Trinidad and Tobago international had a break-out season scoring 15 goals to claim the Golden Boot and Best Forward awards. Jan-Michael Williams, Nuru Abdullah Muhammad, and Ataullah Guerra were respectively named the Best Goalkeeper, Best Defender, and Best Midfielder. The remaining team award was won by W Connection for the Most Disciplined Team of the Year. FIFA international referee, Neal Brizan, won the Referee of the Year for the fifth consecutive year, whereas Boris Punch won the Match Commissioner of the Year.

Award Winner
Player of the Year Richard Roy (Defence Force)
Manager of the Year Jamaal Shabazz (Caledonia AIA)
Best Goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams (W Connection)
Best Defender Nuru Abdullah Muhammad (Caledonia AIA)
Best Midfielder Ataullah Guerra (Caledonia AIA)
Best Forward Richard Roy (Defence Force)
Golden Boot Richard Roy (Defence Force)
Team of the Year Caledonia AIA
Most Disciplined Team of the Year W Connection
Referee of the Year Neal Brizan
Assistant Referee of the Year Cindy Mohammed
Match Commissioner of the Year Boris Punch

References
  1. "Trinidad and Tobago - List of Champions". Radek Jelínekm, Hans Schöggl and RSSSF. 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  2. "Skeene: New TT Pro League season presents a golden opportunity". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  3. "Season change for Pro League". Ian Prescott (T&T Express). 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  4. "T&TEC predicts smooth transition into Pro League". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  5. "Joe Public withdraws from T&T Pro League". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  6. "Trinidad declares state of emergency in crime hot-spots". BBC News - Latin American and Caribbean. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  7. "Police, Defence Force returns to League". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-12-12. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  8. "T&TEC outshines Stars in season opener". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  9. "Roy hat-tricks Army to 3-1 comeback win over Rangers". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  10. "2011/12 Pro League Fixtures". Soca Warriors Online. 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  11. "W Connection lifts 2011-12 Digicel Pro League title in emphatic style". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  12. "Financially starved Jabloteh pulls out of League". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2012-07-03. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  13. "No funding for TTEC sporting teams". Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday). 2012-05-08. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
  14. "T&TEC withdraws from CFU Club Championship; Caledonia gets opportunity to defend its title". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2013-03-05. Archived from the original on 2019-12-20. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  15. "Digicel Pro League kickoff postponed by State of Emergency". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  16. "T&TEC to line up with Pro League clubs in 2011–12". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  17. "Adam's Construction sponsors San Juan jabloteh". Ian Prescott (T&T Express). 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
  18. The heat is on—CFU spots at stake
  19. "Stars sack coaches Shurland David, Arnold Dwarika". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  20. "Emerson Alcántara agrees on two-season deal at North East Stars". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  21. "Rangers sack Streete". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  22. "Angus Eve is new North East Stars head coach". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  23. Jorsling strike sends Caledonia into CFU Club Championship, T&TEC awaits special token, Police beat Connection
  24. Jorsling strike sends Caledonia into CFU Club Championship, T&TEC awaits special token, Police beat Connection
  25. "Match Report – Round 3, Matchday 7". Soca Warriors Online. 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  26. "Match Report – Round 2, Matchday 2". Soca Warriors Online. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  27. "Penalty strikes give Stars, Jabloteh 1-1 draw". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  28. "T&TEC looks to wrap up league". Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian). 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
  29. "T&TEC registers second League victory with 3-0 win over Rangers". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2011-10-22. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  30. "Match Report – Round 2, Matchday 4". Soca Warriors Online. 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  31. "Defence Force duo receives Toyota Yaris as League honours previous Players of the Year". Randy Bando (TTProLeague.com). 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
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