Senator David Nakhid is urging a major overhaul of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), calling for the competition to be extended to six months to better develop future national footballers.
Speaking as the 2025 SSFL awards ceremony, the former St Mary’s College standout said the current three-month season is insufficient for meaningful player development.
“Unless you make the fundamental change in the format of the Secondary Schools Football League, we will not progress as a nation in football,” he said.
“The Secondary Schools Football League can’t run anymore for three months. It cannot develop football players, boys and girls, in three months every year and then tell them go home for nine months. Madness.”
Nakhid said he has already discussed the proposal with SSFL president Merere Gonzales, who he described as receptive to the idea of extending the season to six or seven months.
He argued that a longer campaign would give coaches and players more consistent time to refine skills and build discipline, while strengthening the overall standard of school football.
“Give people time to work, coaches and players, work on their game and develop them,” he said.
However, concerns have been raised by some commentators that an extended season could clash with CONCACAF youth qualifiers, potentially leading to player absences during key stages of the competition.
Despite this, Nakhid maintained that the SSFL remains the foundation of national football development.
“This SSFL that you are representing is the foundation of everything that we have to build on. If you know how this league can prepare all our teams for the future, and all the young men and young women for your future lives, it is this league,” he said.
Minister of Education, Dr Michael Dowlath, also spoke at the event, challenging the SSFL to widen their reach into the secondary school ecosystem.
“You have covered 75 (schools), your challenge is to involve every single secondary school,” he said.
He also had a message for the student athletes of Trinidad and Tobago.
“Wear your talents responsibly. Whether you go on to represent your school, your community, your club, and one day Trinidad and Tobago—the red, black and white—remember that ability is a gift, but character is a choice,” he said.
“Be disciplined. Be respectful. Take your academics seriously. Listen to your coaches. Honour your parents and your teachers, and choose your friends wisely.”
The awards function also saw the crowing of Naparima College goalkeeper Mikhail Clement and Pleasantville Secondary midfielder Nikita Gosine as the 2025 Secondary Schools Football Players of the Year.
Clement helped Naparima to the treble as the South Trinidad giants won the Premiership, South Intercol, and National Intercol titles.
Gosine, who made her senior international debut last year, inspired Pleasantville to victory over Five Rivers Secondary in the Trinidad final before sharing the national title with Signal Hill Secondary.
The Pleasantville midfielder also won the award last year, with Clement registering his first Player of the Year win.
