The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) has renamed its marquee competition as a means of acknowledging the recent intervention of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT), which helped ensure the smooth running of its upcoming competition, which kicks off on Friday with an exhibition double-header at Ato Boldon Stadium.“For the Boys Premiership Division of the 2026 season, it will be known as SSFL SporTT Boys Premiership,” SSFL president Merere Gonzales stated at yesterday’s launch of the 2026 competition, which took place at the National Cycling Velodrome, Couva.Representing SporTT at the launch were chairman Kester Lendor and SportTT CEO Arnold Ram, both former players.Ram stated there was immediate response from Sport Minister Phillip Watts, and SporTT officials, himself and Lendore, after funding challenges were revealed ahead of the upcoming season.“We are very elated to be a part of this venture and to step in because there were some challenges being faced, as the president (Gonzales) indicated,” Ram stated.Further, Ram said a committee to assist football is in the planning, but is still being conceptualised, with a roll-out date of within six months.“We want to bridge the gap from the SSFL to the next stage,” Ram stated. “So, under the office of the CEO, we are going to have an advisors committee headed by our chairman, very soon, to look at football in particular. We are going to work with the national bodies, the SSFL, the TTFA to bridge that gap.”Gonzales also announced that the SSFL will honour long-serving former general secretary Azaad H. Khan, who died earlier this year and whose post has since been filled by Laurence Seepersad.“The trophy will be presented in his honour.” Gonzales said.Gonzales also announced that Sunshine Snacks had come aboard as a partner, joining incumbent sponsors First Citizens, Shell, Axion and Coca-Cola, with the likelihood of others joining as well.“There are a number of prospective sponsors,” Gonzales added. “We have had loads of meetings.”Gonzales also noted that there was no shortage of local providers interested in live-streaming matches, potentially filling the gap vacated by the now-defunct SportsMax cable TV station.“We will have no shortage of coverage of games in the Boys Premiership Division,” stated Gonzales. He named Scorch TV, Flow, Wave TV and 360 TV among the organisations likely to carry SSFL matches live this season.This year’s SSFL competition will see 104 schools fielding 420 teams across all divisions. Seventeen teams will compete in the Boys Premiership Division, but general secretary Seepersad announced that the number will be reduced by one team at the end of the season.“For the 2026 season of the Boys Premiership Division, four teams will be relegated to their respective Boys Championship Division and three teams from the Championship Division will be promoted to the Premiership Division,” Seepersad announced.“Therefore, next year we will be back to a normal 16 teams competing in our Boys Premiership Division.”