On Creating CFU Leagues to Develop the Caribbean Game

Developing soccer in CONCACAF is an ongoing process. To a large extent, Major League Soccer and LigaMX have led the way in helping to grow the game in their own countries and beyond. This has especially been true for players in the smaller Caribbean federations. Just look at the recent success of Jamaica in the 2015 Gold Cup, where they dethroned the United States in the semifinals and gave Mexico a run for their money in the final, for proof.

This was a roster which featured nine players from either MLS or USL, ranging from the young Michael Seaton (D.C. United via Richmond Kickers, and later Portland Timbers) to the experienced Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo). This is a testament to the role the regional heavyweights have to play in developing players beyond their borders. A rising tide lifts all boats and, by elevating the competition with an increasingly strong league product, the bigger CONCACAF countries stand to benefit themselves. By playing against constantly improving Caribbean and Central American teams, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will have better and more frequent opportunities to test themselves against quality opposition.

Unfortunately, unless investments are made to develop players within the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), this growth will continue to be uneven and short-lived. The likes of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago have a history of performing within CONCACAF, as well as against competition outside it. What about federations like Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas…? How do the national federations, CONCACAF, and FIFA help foster growth and development in countries that are dwarfed in population and resources by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico?

I have an admittedly crazy idea, which is supplemented by resources from outside the CFU, that would establish a supranational league system in the Caribbean. This would this allow the best clubs in the various Caribbean countries to compete against one another more often (in so doing forcing them to innovate and improve to keep pace). By allowing the best Caribbean clubs to compete in a league, one which institutes promotion and relegation with the various national leagues, would foster and grow competition in these countries in a way that would not be possible otherwise.

It would also allow these countries to collectively award television broadcasting rights, making the Caribbean game a more lucrative proposition than it is in its current format.

Take, for example, Puerto Rico. Its population is roughly 3.6 million, which is hardly worth the effort of televising and broadcasting a league cup final, let alone regular season matches. The entire population of the Caribbean, however, stands at roughly 40.4 million — a collective population slightly smaller than that of Spain. I’m not arguing that it would rival La Liga for quality or exposure, but it would make the prospect of Caribbean soccer much more worth while for those who wish to invest their time and money.

My proposal separates the Greater and Lesser Antilles nations into separate leagues. This may reduce their financial appeal, but also helps to assuage concerns clubs may have about travel costs. This, combined with financial assistance from the CFU, CONCACAF, and FIFA, could possibly be enough to make the league economically feasible for the participant clubs.

It would be a relatively straightforward proposition if, from the outset, the number of clubs promoted into the respective leagues was a function of of population. In future editions, the number of promoted clubs from each country could be determined by countries’ performance in the CONCACAF Champions League. In this sense, it is not all that different from the system in place elsewhere, albeit with a league operating on a supranational scale. This is also not without precedent, as MLS has clubs representing both the United States and Canada. The scale of this multi-national league, however, would be on par with the regional competitions in CONCACAF and other regions — a hybrid solution, of sorts.

Is this solution without flaws? No. Concerns about players trying to desert their on away trips exist across sports for a myriad of reasons. Is there demand for televised games within the Caribbean beyond the European leagues, Liga MX, and MLS? The answer could quite possibly be no. Television money is but one factor in financing and maintaining a league. Travel will be expensive and is likely the biggest obstacle for this proposal from a feasibility standpoint.

Still, CONCACAF and the CFU must explore ways to develop the game beyond the countries that have traditionally punched above their weight. Efforts to grow the game beyond the mainland will reap benefits throughout the region, helping elevate the game in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Rarely are they win-win scenarios such as this, but there is a part of me that can’t get beyond the idea that it just might work.