The pressure is mounting on Azim Bassarath, the president of the T&T CricketBoard (TTCB), and his executive to come clean about the club grants offer that was made in the presence of Minister of Sports and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis during his address at the September 30, 2023 annual TTCB awards function.
The clubs were promised $150,000 (Premier II clubs $50,000, and Premier I clubs $100,000) however, on Wednesday it was reported in the media that Bassarath said that the clubs may not receive the grants to help them offset the 2024 season which is almost over.
According to Adrian Ali, who resigned as one of the six club representatives via a letter to the TTCB secretary Altaf Baksh on April 3, 2024, there is a noticeable complacency among many clubs with the current management of cricket affairs, where it appears that certain officials are choosing personal advantage over their professional obligations. This situation warrants an urgent and rigorous appraisal of how the governance systems can be fortified. Key administrators are taking strategic steps to cement their position, but we must critically assess whether such maneuvers are genuinely serving Trinidad and Tobago Cricket’s best interests.
Richard Ramkisson, the owner of Central Sports, the 2024 reigning league champions said that the five club representatives need to come together and represent the clubs that voted them into office.
The club representatives are Frank Simmons (Defence Force), Sabastian Edwards (Merryboys), Kalipersad Sanasie (Cosmos), Rajendra Poorai (Secretary of the National League) and Ramkissoon.
Ramkissoon said, “This president promised to assist clubs because of the three-day cricket format. This was done publicly in the prize-giving function and other forums This is a sad state of affairs facing clubs a major stakeholder in Trinidad and Tobago cricket.
Clubs would have budgeted for this Grant. Now they are being told zero. Real disrespect to clubs. Five of us must remember that we were elected by clubs to represent them. What is further disturbing in the same article it was mentioned that the clubs did not spend their finance wisely and the TTCB is not to be blamed. All stakeholders of cricket have to work together for the development of the sport.”
Baldath Mahabir of Clarke Road United said clubs in the Premiership Divisions of the TTCB have been very patient and cooperative with their parent organisation. During and post-COVID-19, the clubs expended a lot of scarce resources to keep themselves afloat. Facilities were neglected, prize monies were slashed, sponsors withdrew, finances declined and even players migrated away from the sport. Yet the clubs battled on. This year clubs were promised increased grant funding to help clubs to regain financial and organisational stability.
He said, “The League started on February 2, without the quantum of prize monies being disclosed. This info eventually came via Whats App on March 23, 2024. In the interim, clubs played with goodwill having been promised grants of $100,000.00 for Premiership clubs and $50,000 for the Premiership Division II club. Now we are being told that this may not materialise.”
Meanwhile, Ali, whose resignation letter advises that he has severed ties from all his appointed positions said, “As the situation stands, the reserve league is entangled in difficulties securing standings from the TTCB, a significant delay since the league’s conclusion. Clubs bear the burden of submitting scoresheets, yet the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) must establish a more robust and less club-dependent system for the aggregation of this critical data. The TTCB is duty-bound to facilitate the prompt and accurate relay of results and standings, without overwhelming club resources.”
He said, “Clubs are coerced into substantial monetary investments in a reserve league that may not rival the competitive edge or organizational excellence of certain junior league cricket competitions, which boast superior rewards. Focusing on development is paramount, yet the TTCB must adopt a more proactive and financially supportive role in the sport’s expansion, rather than offloading an inordinate share of this responsibility onto the clubs.”
Ali, the President and captain of Bess Motors Marchin Patriots, the runner-up in the National League said in 2022 the clubs got a grant of $20,000. The Premiership Division I comprises eight clubs while the Premiership II (North and South) is made up of 16 clubs.
He explained, “The puzzling question remains: why isn’t the TTCB harnessing its considerable influence to entice a wider spectrum of stakeholders and heavyweight sponsors? Is there an apparent aversion among potential investors to align with the board or bolster its initiatives? Despite the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) invigorating T20 cricket, the static nature of T20 tournament prize funds is baffling. If the administrators seem content with the status quo, perhaps this reflects a broader acquiescence. Once again, we see that political entanglements are thwarting the progress of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket.”
Ramkissoon said, “Based on a newspaper article where the president of TTCB is quoted as saying that the TTCB finance may not allow it to pay club grants has been received with great disappointment by clubs. From 2023 to the present clubs were assured that these grants were forthcoming. All clubs would have budgeted in 2024 for the payment of these monies now being told it may not be paid. Most clubs have expressed great disappointment in this development and are hoping to meet to discuss this scenario soon to present a unified position to the executive.”