TTFA — Trinidad and Tobago Football Association

What is the TTFA?

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) is the national association for football in Trinidad and Tobago. Its statutes define it as “a private organisation of an associative nature incorporated under an Act of Parliament (#17 of 1982)” (Article 1.1).^[6] The TTFA states that it “is responsible for all regulatory aspects of the game of football in Trinidad and Tobago” and that it “aims to promote, foster and develop the game at all levels”.^[4]

FIFA’s directory lists the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association in the Concacaf confederation, with www.thettfa.com as its website and Kieron Edwards as president.^[1] Its remit covers association football, beach soccer and futsal: its statutes count a beach soccer association and a futsal association among its members, and its site carries men’s, women’s and youth national teams, a men’s beach soccer team and an eSports team.^[6][3]

What does the TTFA govern or do?

Article 2 of the statutes sets the TTFA’s objectives, among them improving and regulating football throughout Trinidad and Tobago, organising competitions, enforcing regulations, ensuring that the game is open to all regardless of gender or age, and promoting integrity and the development of women’s football.^[6] Article 70.1 provides: “The TTFA shall organise and coordinate the following official competitions held within its territory: TT Premier Football League Tier 1 and Tier 2; TT Premier Football League Knockout Cup”.^[6]

Article 23.7 provides: “The judicial bodies are the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee and the Appeals Committee.”^[6] FIFA’s directory lists a technical director and the head of the referees department.^[1] The TTFA runs coach education and a safeguarding and academy registration programme, each with its own section on its site.^[3]

When was the TTFA founded and where is it based?

The TTFA states: “The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association was formed on July 23rd, 1908.”^[4] Its legal form dates from much later: the statutes record its incorporation under Act of Parliament No. 17 of 1982 (Article 1.1).^[6]

Its international affiliations date from after independence. The TTFA states: “After Independence in 1962, the TTFA was affiliated with FIFA and its confederate member, Concacaf”, and gives its FIFA affiliation as 1963.^[4] Concacaf dates the association’s membership to 1964: it “wasn’t among the founding members of Concacaf, but joining in 1964, three years later”.^[2] Concacaf itself “was established in 1961”, formed through the merger of the North American Football Union and the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean.^[10]

Article 1.2 of the statutes states: “The headquarters of the TTFA are located in Balmain, Couva, Trinidad.”^[6] FIFA and Concacaf both give the address as the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.^[1][2]

How is the TTFA recognised?

FIFA, Concacaf, CFU. Article 1.3 of the statutes states: “The TTFA is a member of FIFA, Concacaf, and CFU” — the last being the Caribbean Football Union.^[6] FIFA’s directory lists the association in the Concacaf confederation, and Concacaf’s list of its 41 member associations includes Trinidad and Tobago.^[1][11]

FIFA’s intervention, 2020. On 17 March 2020 the Bureau of the FIFA Council appointed a normalisation committee for the TTFA, to run its daily affairs, draw up a debt repayment plan, bring its statutes into line with FIFA’s and organise elections, within at most 24 months; FIFA stated that “extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with a massive debt, have resulted in the TTFA facing a very real risk of insolvency and illiquidity”.^[7] On 24 September 2020 the Bureau suspended the TTFA “with immediate effect due to grave violations of the FIFA Statutes”, stating that the former leadership’s local court action against the appointment breached “article 59 of the FIFA Statutes, which expressly prohibits recourse to ordinary courts unless specifically provided for in the FIFA regulations.”^[8] On 19 November 2020 it lifted the suspension, after “taking note of the recent decision of the Trinidad and Tobago Court of Appeal” and of the members’ express wish for all associated legal claims brought in the association’s name to be terminated; FIFA stated that the members of the normalisation committee “will proceed with their duties.”^[9]

National legal status. The TTFA is incorporated under Act No. 17 of 1982 (Article 1.1). Its current statutes, which the TTFA describes as “compliant with FIFA and Concacaf”, were approved unanimously at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 28 January 2024; Article 79 states that they “were adopted at the Congress in Trinidad and Tobago on 28 January 2024 and come into force immediately.”^[6][5]

What does the TTFA organise?

The TTFA states that it is “Responsible for the Fortunes of All National Teams for Men and Women, Senior and Youth Level”.^[4] Its site lists men’s, women’s and youth national teams, a men’s beach soccer team and an eSports team, and FIFA’s directory names head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams.^[3][1] The teams enter Concacaf and FIFA competitions such as the Gold Cup and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers; the 2026 World Cup (11 June–19 July 2026) is past.^[2]

The top club tier is the TT Premier Football League, which the statutes place under the TTFA in two tiers, with a knockout cup (Article 70.1).^[6] The TTFA’s site carries the TT Premier Football League and TT Women’s League Football.^[3] Its history page lists the wider structure of the domestic game: “There is now the Professional Football league, the FA Trophy, national Super League and regional amateur leagues, youth leagues, and the secondary schools league.”^[4] The TTFA also records that the country hosted the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.^[4]

Who are its members?

Article 12 of the statutes lists the TTFA’s members: clubs registered in the competitions of the TT Pro League or the TT Premier Football League Tier 1; clubs registered in the competitions of the TT Super League or the TT Premier Football League Tier 2; the regional associations; the women’s league; the beach soccer association; the futsal association; the coaches association; the secondary and primary schools leagues; the referees association; and a veteran footballers foundation.^[6]

“The Congress is a meeting at which all the Members regularly convene” and is the supreme legislative body (Article 25.1).^[6] Votes are allocated by category under Article 26, which gives, “for each licensed club in the TT Premier Football League Tier 1 for a maximum of twelve (12) clubs: two votes per club represented by one delegate”; members of the Executive Committee take part “without voting rights” (Article 26.4).^[6] Under Article 37.1 the Executive Committee has “nine (9) members, at least one of whom shall be a woman”: a president, three vice-presidents and five ordinary members.^[6] The TTFA lists its current team as president Kieron Edwards, vice-presidents Colin Murray, Osmond Downer and Jameson Riques, and ordinary members Ryan Nunes, Andrew Boodoo, Alicia Austin, Shelton Williams and Allan Logan.^[4]