GFA’s 5-year plan includes a Professional League

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, April 22, 2011 - The Grenada Football Association (GFA) intends to transform its flagship tournament into a Professional League by 2016.

President of the GFA Cheney Joseph disclosed that, among plans to revamp the structure of football in Grenada, a football company would be established to handle exclusively the Premier League, independent of the General Secretariat.

He said that, in the interim, a competition desk will be set up in the Secretariat which will handle all matters relating to the Premier League.

The GFA has already announced increased prize monies for the 2011/12 season including a championship purse of $50,000.

The 2010/11 season was abandoned on a decision taken by the General Council and the top three teams in the Premier League will receive 50 percent of the prize monies for that season. Paradise will receive $6,000; Hurricane $4,000; and Fontenoy $3,000. The other seven teams in the Premier League will share the remaining $13,000 equally, as expense reimbursement.

The winners of last year’s Conference will each receive $1,000 and all other teams in the Conference will receive a reimbursement of $250.

Eleven teams will contest the First Division and 14 teams in the Second Division in the 2011/12 season. Women’s and Youth competitions will also be staged this season.

As part of the GFA’s development programme, a Reserved League will be introduce on the 2012/13 season focusing mainly on youth teams from each affiliate.