Development (1999–2008) The Trinidad and Tobago all-professional league, called the Professional Football League, was founded on 5 January 1999 with its inaugural season held in the same year to become the first professional football league in the Caribbean. The eight inaugural members were Defence Force, Doc's Khelwalaas, FUTGOF, Joe Public, Point Fortin Civic, Police, San Juan Jabloteh, and W Connection. In the first professional season, Defence Force continued a theme set during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, which saw the club win a record twentieth league championship. The Professional Football League would continue for two more seasons before a decision from its owner and founder, Jack Warner, to withdraw funding for the league. Early league results suggested an improvement in player development with several domestic professionals named to starting roles in the national team. Consequently, club owners agreed in March 2012 to develop a new professional league that would operate rather as a corporation, known as the T&T Pro League Limited, owned by the member clubs and a continuation of the Professional Football League. One month later, the TT Pro League began with eight members: Arima Fire, Caledonia AIA, Defence Force, Joe Public, North East Stars, San Juan Jabloteh, South Starworld Strikers, and defending champions W Connection. After establishing itself on the talents of homegrown players during its initial years, the league continued to see several of its stars move to leagues in Europe and North America. Collin Samuel was the first to leave when he signed for Falkirk in August 2002, and was joined at Dundee United a year later by Jason Scotland. Kenwyne Jones, former standout for Joe Public and W Connection, signed with Southampton, whereas Cornell Glen of San Juan Jabloteh joined the MetroStars of Major League Soccer during the 2004 season. The departures ultimately benefited the Pro League as the national team, composed of several current and former Pro League players, qualified for the nation's first FIFA World Cup in November 2005. In the build-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, community interest in local football was at an all-time high and the Pro League garnered praise for its development of homegrown professional footballers. As a result, the league implemented a series of marketing plans to establish itself as a viable professional league. Two major initiatives were to increase league membership back to ten teams and establish a reserve league in 2007 for players that