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- The history of the TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) has its roots spanning back to the 1970s and 1980s when Trinidad and Tobago experienced an upswing in support for its domestic football. Several of the national team players featured for Defence Force during its dominance of the National League, which included the Teteron Boys becoming the first Trinidadian and only second club from CONCACAF to accomplish the continental treble in 1985. In addition, the national team also rose to prominence in the late 1980s after falling short by one match of qualification for the nation's first FIFA World Cup in 1989. Optimism for the growth and community interest of football in Trinidad and Tobago was at an all-time high. However, the early 1990s would mark a low point in Trinidad and Tobago football. In 1993, after a streak of poor performances, the Soca Warriors gave its worst ever showing in the 1993 Caribbean Cup after finishing a disappointing third, which was preceded by an early exit from its '94 for Sure campaign to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States. In response to the downward trend in the sport, several initiatives were implemented by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association to repair its credibility and return confidence among the clubs and businesses to support domestic football. In 1994, the Football Association secured a four-year agreement with Umbro to sponsor the national team with equipment and apparel. This was soon followed by an announcement that local beer manufacturers Carib agreed to become the title sponsor of the National League, which included the injection of prize money for the first time in domestic football. The following year, Trinidadian and former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner proposed that the creation of a professional football league in Trinidad and Tobago was needed to strengthen its national team and improve the development of its domestic players. In order to establish a professional football league in the country, the Football Association created the Semi-Professional League in 1996 to provide teams and players a three-year period to meet admission criteria and transition to life in a professional league. The league's inaugural season of the all-professional league, called the Professional Football League, was held in 1999 and became the first professional football league in the Caribbean. Eight clubs contested the league's first season with Defence Force continuing a theme set during the National League and Semi-Professional League years by winning the club's twentieth league championship. The league's first year also witnessed the rise of several domestic stars including Arnold Dwarika after the Eastern Lion scored 45 league goals. However, after three years, the Professional Football League ceased operations following a decision from its owner and founder, Jack Warner, to withdraw funding for the league in February 2002. After early positive results, club owners agreed a month later to develop a new professional league and formed a limited company known as the T&T Pro League Limited owned by the member clubs and a continuation of the Professional Football League. Although operating rather as a corporation, the TT Pro League continued to see several of its initial homegrown players depart for more prominent leagues in Europe and North America. However, their departures ultimately benefited the league as the Trinidad and Tobago national team, composed of several current and former Pro League players, qualified for the nation's first FIFA World Cup in November 2005. Consequently, the league garnered praise for its development of homegrown professional footballers and implemented a series of marketing plans to establish itself as a viable professional league. (en)
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