| Founded | 5 January 1999[1] (as Professional Football League) (1999–2001) |
|---|---|
| First season | 1999 |
| Country | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | None |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions League CFU Club Championship |
| Current champions | Central FC (2015–16, 2nd title) |
| Most championships | W Connection (5 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Devorn Jorsling (144 goals) |
| Current: 2016–17 TT Pro League | |
The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. The league serves as the top division in the Trinidad and Tobago football league system and is the country's primary football competition. Contested by ten clubs, the league is one of the world's few football leagues that does not operate on an automatic system of promotion and relegation. Seasons run from September to May, with teams playing 27 games each, totaling 135 games in the season. Most games are played in the evenings of Fridays (Super Fridays) and Saturdays (Fiesta Saturdays), with a few games played during weekday evenings. The Pro League headquarters is located in northwest of Trinidad and Tobago in St. Augustine. The league is currently sponsored by Digicel and thus officially known as the Digicel Pro League.[2]
The Professional Football League, forerunner to the current TT Pro League, was inaugurated on 5 January 1999 as part of a need for a professional league to strengthen the country's national team and improve the development of domestic players.[1] The league lasted three years until a decision composed of club owners in March 2002 to cease league operations of the Professional Football League. Consequently, the TT Pro League was born as the country's new professional league operating as a corporation owned by the member clubs.[3] Teams competing in the Pro League may qualify for the CFU Club Championship on virtue of league positions. In addition, the top three Caribbean clubs enter the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. There is no automatic promotion to the Pro League from the country's second-tier National Super League. The league's club members vote to determine which, if any, applications for admission into the league will be permitted. Preference is given to the Super League champion. Since the inaugural season in 1999, 22 distinct teams have competed in the Pro League.
Six clubs have won the title: W Connection (5 times), San Juan Jabloteh (4), Defence Force (3), Central FC (2), Joe Public (2), and North East Stars (1) with W Connection being the first team to win consecutive titles (2000 to 2001).[4] The record number of points accumulated by a team is 92 over 36 games by San Juan Jabloteh, who won the Pro League in 2003–04. At the other end of the scale, Tobago United remains the only club to have lost every game in a season during 2004. Tobago United also holds the record for the fewest goals scored in a season, having scored just 13 in the same season. San Juan Jabloteh hold the record for the most goals scored, with 113 during the 2003–04 season. Fourteen top goalscorers from seven different teams have been awarded the Golden Boot. Arnold Dwarika scored 45 goals in a 28-game season – the most in a Pro League season, while Jerren Nixon scored 37 in a 26-game season in 2004. Randolph Jerome was the first international player to win the award in 2003–04 having scored 28 goals in 36 matches.