View source for Caribbean Professional Football League (1992 to 1995)

{{Infobox football tournament
| name                 = Caribbean Professional Football League (CPFL)
| logo                 =
| caption              =
| founded              = 1992
| abolished            = 1995
| region               = Caribbean
| number of teams      =
| current champions    =
| most titles          =
| most successful club =
| most successful team =
| broadcasters         =
| motto                =
| website              =
| current              =
}}
The ''' Caribbean Professional Football League''' was a short-lived [[association football]] competition spanning several Caribbean nations. The aim of the competition was to introduce professional standard football to the Caribbean region.
The participating teams were franchises created by local businessmen and the teams featured full international players. Players such as [[Theodore Whitmore]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Juredini|first=Clyde|title=Simoes' post WCup Premier League plan|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Simoes--post-WCup-Premier-League-plan_11373957|publisher=Jamaica Observer|accessdate=28 October 2012|date=30 April 2012}}</ref>  and [[Rodney Jack]] participated in the competition. The league proved to be problematic and the Kingston Gleaner reported that it had made "significant losses" before the end of the inaugural competition.<ref name="gleaner-1992-9-1">{{cite news|title=CPFL suspension blasted|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=1 September 1992}}</ref>
In June 1993, the Jamaican press reported that the CPFL had "toiled miserably in its second year and come under fire from competing teams who have incurred heavy financial losses brought on by inefficient organization".<ref>{{cite news|last=Campbell|first=Howard|title=Warner slams Caribbean coaches|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=27 June 1993|pages=60}}</ref> Christopher Ziadie, a player and director at the Kingston Lions franchise revealed that it had lost JMD $1.7m in two years and that in some cases less than 50 people would attend a game. Ziadie went on to describe the CPFL as a "shabby league" and blamed poor organisation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Campbell|first=Howard|title=Lions incur $1.7m loss|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=23 June 1993|pages=15}}</ref> In some cases, matches were delayed on the date they were scheduled to be played.
Harold Taylor, a competition organiser and the Caribbean Football Union secretary said that the problem with the competition is lack of promotion and as a result "no one cares" about it, he also said that he hadn't attended a game.<ref>{{cite news|title=Inadequate marketing, amateur promotion|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=23 June 1993|pages=15}}</ref> [[Jack Warner (football executive)|Jack Warner]] claim in 2005, that the league folded because they "could not depend on the vagaries of the airlines in the region".<ref>{{cite web|title=Warner calls WI 'Mimic Men' for agreeing to host World Cup|url=http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2005-02-27/sports4.html|publisher=Trinidad Guardian|accessdate=29 October 2012|date=27 February 2005}}</ref>
In October 1994, the competition was re-branded as '''Caribbean Major League Football'''. Hopes were high for the competition and it was reported that the television rights to show the competition in USA and Canada for the competition were to be sold for $1.5m US dollars.<ref>{{cite web|title=CMLF set to sign lucrative deal|publisher=Kingston Gleaner|pages=26|date=12 December 1994}}</ref> CMLF Chairman Kelly Pierre also said that he was in talks with Asian and European businesses.
Despite the reports, funding was short and The CFU and CMLF had a dispute over the organisation of competition. Warner announced that the CFU wanted to re-take control of the competition as he felt "the professional league is needed for the Caribbean's success in football".<ref name="carib-pro-league">{{cite news|title='Carib pro league' will go on|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=5 April 1995|pages=16}}</ref>
Warner also said that the CMLF had defaulted on several loans and owed the [[Caribbean Football Union]] $250k US dollars.<ref name="carib-pro-league"/>
The commissioner and Chief Executive of the league was [[New York City|New York]]-based Brazilian Jorge Campos,<ref>{{cite news|title=I am guilty..Anglin pleads to cocaine charges|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=31 May 1995|pages=13}}</ref> the owner of the St. Lucia based All Stars franchise.<ref name="gleaner-1992-9-1"/> The Caribbean Major League Football company was registered in Barbados.
The newly re-branded competition was delayed from March, to April, to May and delayed again to August 1995. The competition was set to be a sixteen-team championship but due to spiraling costs the format was changed. The sixteen teams were divided into two zones where teams could play up to three fixtures in a week at a host nation to keep travel costs down. The CFU President (and Simpaul Travel company owner) Jack Warner was unhappy with the arrangement.<ref>{{cite news|title=CMLF, CFU at loggerheads|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=10 May 1995}}</ref> By August, four teams had pulled out of the competition leaving twelve teams remaining, the decision was made to split the teams into three groups of four. The competition never took place.
== Participating Clubs ==
{|class="wikitable"
!1992
!1993
!1994
!1995
|-
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Saint Lucia}} [[Northern United All Stars|All Stars]]
* {{flagicon|Saint Vincent}} Hairoun Lions
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} Kingston Lions
* {{flagicon|Tobago}} St. Clair Coaching School
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} Trinidad & Tobago Hawks
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} Wavers<ref group="nb">Changed their name to [[Reno F.C.|Reno International]]</ref>
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} Kingston Lions
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} Malta Carib Alcons
* {{flagicon|Saint Lucia}} Panthers
* {{flagicon|Grenada}} R.E. Walker Nationals
* {{flagicon|Tobago}} St. Clair Coaching School
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} Trinidad and Tobago Hawks
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} [[Morvant Caledonia United|Caledonia AIA]]
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} Cornwall County Lions
* {{flagicon|Guyana}} Georgetown Cobras
* {{flagicon|Saint Vincent}} Hairoun Lions
* {{flagicon|Barbados}} Lambada
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} [[Harbour View F.C.|Harbour View]]
* {{flagicon|Tobago}} Tobago Young Pros<ref group="nb">Also known as Scarborough Young Pros</ref>
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} Trinity Professionals
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Haiti}} Boyo Stars
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} [[Morvant Caledonia United|Caledonia AIA]]
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} Cornwall County Lions
* {{flagicon|Guyana}} Georgetown Cobras
* {{flagicon|Saint Vincent}} Hairoun Lions
* {{flagicon|Jamaica}} [[Harbour View F.C.|Harbour View]]
* {{flagicon|Barbados}} Lambada
* {{flagicon|Aruba}} [[SV Riverplate|Riverplate]]
* {{flagicon|Tobago}} Scarborough Young Pros
* {{flagicon|Grenada}} Spice Nationals
* {{flagicon|Trinidad}} Trinity Professionals
* {{flagicon|Antigua and Barbuda}} Wadadli Deers
|}
*A team called [[Pele FC|Pele]] from Guyana applied to enter the CPFL in November 1992.<ref>{{cite web|title=CPFL to review applications|publisher=Kingston Gleaner|page=16|date=30 November 1992}}</ref>
*Another team which was referred to as Bajan Superstars from Barbados were also considering competing.
;Notes
{{reflist|group=nb}}
== Previous winners ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Winner
!Runner-up
!Third-place
!Fourth-place
!Source
|-
!colspan="6"|Caribbean Professional Football League
|-
|[[1992 Caribbean Professional Football League|1992]]
| {{flagicon|TRI}} Trinidad and Tobago Hawks
| {{flagicon|JAM}} Kingston Lions
|
|
|<ref>{{cite news|title=10 clubs to contest '93 CPFL tournament|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|pages=11|date=15 January 1993}}</ref>
|-
|[[1993 Caribbean Professional Football League|1993]]
| {{flagicon|TRI}} Malta Carib Alcons
| {{flagicon|LCA}} Panthers
| {{flagicon|GRN}} RE Walker Nationals
| {{flagicon|TRI}} St. Clair
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Caribs win CPFL title|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|pages=16|date=6 July 1993}}</ref>
|-
|[[1994 Caribbean Professional Football League|1994]]
| {{flagicon|TRI}} Trinity Professionals
| {{flagicon|JAM}} Cornwall County Lions
|
|
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Trinity Pros take title|newspaper=Kingston Gleaner|date=11 June 1994|pages=23}}</ref>
|}
==Other ventures==
===CFU Club Championship===
Two years after the collapse of the Caribbean Professional Football League, the [[CFU Club Championship]] was created by the [[Caribbean Football Union]] led by Jack Warner. The tournament acts as a qualifying competition for the [[CONCACAF Champions Cup]] for Caribbean club teams. Warner's own club [[Joe Public FC]] won the competition in 1998 and 2000.
===USL Caribbean League===
There have been calls for a new trans-border Caribbean Super League to be created in the wake of the Caribbean Professional Football League.
In March 2010, the American [[United Soccer Leagues]] company were considering operating a league in the Caribbean region. USL announced that it had held talks with the [[Puerto Rico Soccer League]] (PRSL) with regards to expanding the USL branding in [[Puerto Rico]] and other [[Caribbean]] nations. The USL suggested that a minimum of four PRSL teams would be included in the new division.<ref>{{cite web |title=USL begins formal talks with PRSL |url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/413476.html |publisher=USL Soccer |accessdate=10 July 2010 |date=26 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330083729/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/413476.html |archivedate=30 March 2010 }}</ref>
The idea of expansion had come to the fore following the formation of [[Puerto Rico Islanders]] and [[Antigua Barracuda F.C.|Antigua Barracuda]], both were the first professional [[association football|soccer]] club in their respective country. [[Bermuda Hogges]] of Bermuda participate in the USL's [[Premier Development League]].
Puerto Rican team [[Sevilla FC Juncos]] revealed that they were looking at the possibility of playing in the league in 2011 whilst their reserve team continue to play in the local Puerto Rican league.<ref>{{cite web|title=USL . SI O NO?|url=http://www.sevillafutbolclubpr.com/wordpress/?p=854|publisher=Sevilla Futbol Club|language=Spanish|accessdate=11 July 2010|date=23 January 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{Quote box
|width=40%
|align=center
|quote=[Expanding USL in] The Caribbean has made a lot of sense to us all along, and we go all the way back to 1995 when the Puerto Rico Islanders, in their first inception, first joined USL. As the Islanders became a force on and off the field, it became more and more sensible to start looking at the Caribbean as a whole because we recognize the region for its talent, but at the same time we also recognize they have challenges in terms of distances and their capabilities from island to island.
|source=Francisco Marcos<ref name="caribbean-expansion-qa">{{cite web |title=Discussing Caribbean Expansion |url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/415653.html |publisher=USLsoccer.com |accessdate=11 July 2010 |date=2 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507020501/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/415653.html |archivedate=7 May 2010 }}</ref>
|}}
However, the plans for a Caribbean League were cancelled when USL merged the [[USL First Division|First Division]] and [[USL Second Division|Second Division]] into the unified [[USL Pro]] which operates as Tier 3 in the [[American soccer pyramid]]. In September 2010 USL invited three Caribbean teams to join [[USL Pro]]; [[Antigua Barracuda FC]], [[Club Atletico River Plate Puerto Rico]], and [[Sevilla FC Puerto Rico]] with the intention of adding at least two more teams; [[Puerto Rico United]] and [[Indios de Mayaguez FC]].<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/468481.html
|title=Sevilla, River Plate Join USL PRO
|publisher=www.uslsoccer.com
|date=2010-09-23
|accessdate=2010-11-26
|url-status=dead
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105041235/http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/468481.html
|archivedate=2010-11-05
}}</ref>
;Caribbean collapse
The Puerto Rico Islanders chose to play in the [[North American Soccer League (2011)|NASL]] instead. The Puerto Rico Islanders announced that they would not be competing in the 2013 and latterly the 2014 NASL season, instead they had chosen to go on hiatus. Meanwhile, in the tier below, the USL Pro team, [[Antigua Barracuda]] completed three consecutive seasons where they finished sixth, eleventh and thirteenth position in the league. The Barracudas folded following the [[2013 USL Pro season]].<ref>{{cite web|title=USL PRO to see teams fold; MLS to field squads; new team partnership|url=http://odfcnews.com/2013/11/17/usl-pro-teams-fold-mls-field-squads-team-partnership/|publisher=ODFC News|accessdate=5 February 2014|date=17 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092256/http://odfcnews.com/2013/11/17/usl-pro-teams-fold-mls-field-squads-team-partnership/|archive-date=6 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Bermuda Hogges, the other [[Caribbean Football Union]] affiliated team in the US announced their withdrawal from the Premier Development League due to financial difficulties.<ref>Stephen Wright [http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130528/SPORT01/705269993 Hogges withdraw from league], ''Royal Gazette Online''. 28 May 2013</ref>
==CONCACAF task force==
In October 2013 [[Jeffrey Webb (football executive)|Jeffrey Webb]] suggested that a professional league in the Caribbean was needed to raise the competitiveness of national teams from the [[Caribbean Football Union]]. A task force which was charged with determining the feasibility of a Caribbean Pro League was convened in [[Montego Bay]], Jamaica on November 7 and 8.<ref name="YORKE ENDORSES C’BEAN PRO LEAGUE">{{cite web|title=YORKE ENDORSES C'BEAN PRO LEAGUE |url=http://www.thetobagonews.com/sports/YORKE-ENDORSES-CBEAN-PRO-LEAGUE-232615961.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131218225255/http://www.thetobagonews.com/sports/YORKE-ENDORSES-CBEAN-PRO-LEAGUE-232615961.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 December 2013 |publisher=Tobago News |accessdate=18 December 2013 }}</ref>
===Major League Futbol proposal===
Chris Anderson, a Trinidadian businessman with experience in sports marketing through his ''PlusOne'' company, created the Barbados-registered ''Caribbean Football Trust Limited (CFTL)''' company. A press release was created citing the creation of '''Major League Futbol''', although little detail was given.<ref>{{cite web|title=Caribbean eyes professional league for 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-concacaf-idUSBRE9A602420131107|publisher=Reuters|accessdate=5 February 2014|date=6 November 2013|archive-date=14 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214052325/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/us-soccer-concacaf-idUSBRE9A602420131107|url-status=live}}</ref>  Anderson stated that he has been considering the proposals since 2002.<ref name="Caribbean League - Major League Football to be launched in 2015! The new MLF says ----- Nets will shake!!!">{{cite web|last=Simmons|first=Adrian|title=Caribbean League - Major League Football to be launched in 2015! The new MLF says ----- Nets will shake!!!|url=http://www.caribbeannewsreview.com/index.php/caribbean1/sports/1143-caribbean-league-major-league-football-to-be-launched-in-2015-the-new-mlf-says-nets-will-shake|publisher=Caribbean News Review|accessdate=18 December 2013}}</ref> Anderson is seeking sponsors to raise $3m USD for prize money and hopes to see 20 clubs participate in the league from 2015 onwards.
The Jamaican Football Federation's [[Horace Burrell]] stated that "there is no infrastructural development across the Caribbean to accommodate such a football competition in a structured way" and that there "is so much that needs to be done before we can start looking at that, such as the level of financing and travel.".<ref>{{cite web|last=Jones |first=Ryon |title=Caribbean not ready for Pro League- Burrell |url=http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20140108/sports/sports3.html |publisher=Jamaican Star |accessdate=5 February 2014 |date=8 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222132401/http://jamaica-star.com/thestar/20140108/sports/sports3.html |archivedate=22 February 2014 }}</ref> [[Damien Hughes]], the [[Caribbean Football Union]] CEO stated that any Caribbean Super League would need permission from CONCACAF and national associations and advised Anderson to make contact to discuss his proposals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regional Football League Has To Be Approved - Hughes|url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140124/sports/sports2.html|publisher=Jamaica Gleaner|accessdate=5 February 2014|date=24 January 2014}}</ref>
===New Caribbean Football League (CFL)===
It will start because of a new $20 million kit sponsor. It will be a three-month season starting at the end of May. It is expected that the league will include marquee players from [[South America]] [[Central America]], and [[Europe]]. Although the majority of the league will be made up of domestic based players.
The fixture for the new league will be played on Fridays, Saturdays and Wednesdays. The Friday and Saturday games will be played in [[Trinidad and Tobago]] whereas games on Wednesday will be moved all across the different [[Caribbean islands]].
The season will be preceded by a three-month combine and trial period with players trying out for spots and to facilitate a USA-type [[Draft (sports)|draft]] observed in leagues like the [[NBA]] in the build-up to the start of the League.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20151026/sports/caribbean-league-promoters-look-at-may-start |title=Trinidad Express Newspapers: Sports &#124; Caribbean League promoters look at May start |access-date=2015-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030003338/http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20151026/sports/caribbean-league-promoters-look-at-may-start |archive-date=2015-10-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Caribbean Professional League Working Group===
In April 2020, [[CONCACAF]] launched a Caribbean Professional League Working Group, which will carry out a comprehensive study of Caribbean professional club football. Members include representatives from CONCACAF, [[Caribbean Football Union|CFU]], [[FIFA]], and five Caribbean associations: [[Trinidad and Tobago Football Association|Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Jamaica Football Federation|Jamaica]], [[Haitian Football Federation|Haiti]], [[Dominican Football Federation|Dominican Republic]], and [[Curaçao Football Federation|Curaçao]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.concacaf.com/en/article/concacaf-to-launch-caribbean-professional-league-working-group|title=Concacaf to launch Caribbean Professional League Working Group|publisher=CONCACAF|date=29 April 2020}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Caribbean Football Union|Pro]]
[[Category:1992 in Caribbean football]]
[[Category:1993 in Caribbean football]]
[[Category:1994 in Caribbean football]]
[[Category:1995 in Caribbean football]]