SEVEN months after claiming the under-20 national title in the Republic Cup Youth tournament, Edinburgh 500-based club Evolution FC are eager to make another big splash when they turn out for their debut campaign in the TT Premier Football League's (TTPFL) tier two season which kicks off on January 18.
Evolution FC will play their first tier two game from 4 pm on the opening day of the campaign with a home clash with Club Sando FC II at the Edinburgh 500 recreation ground in Chaguanas. They will be one of 21 teams competing in an expanded tier two competition which will have a two-group, round-robin format before subsequent playoffs are contested to determine the champion team. Harlem Strikers are the reigning tier two champions.
Officially registered in mid-2022, Evolution FC are co-coached by Husani Thomas and former national senior team defender Kern Cupid, who also serves as the club's co-directors.
For Thomas, 41, stepping into the TTPFL at this stage is aligned with the club's bigger vision.
"It's really the philosophy of the club and academy that our objective when we started with the club was always to have succession planning and have a pathway for players to be able to move from youth level football straight into senior level football."
He said, once approached, taking up the invitation to enter the league was a no-brainer.
TTPFL acting CEO Yale Antoine told Newsday, that in preparation for the 2024/25 TTPFL tier two season, first preference was given to clubs that had participated in the Super League in years past, as well TTPFL tier one teams who already had a functioning second team or the capabilities to field a tier two team.
To this end, Thomas said an invitation was initially extended to the club Central 500 Spartans. With the Spartans unable to take the TTPFL up on its offer, Thomas said Evolution were more than happy to step in and be the flag bearers for Edinburgh.
"We're very fortunate as a club, the way we have been set up from existence, we have all the administrative things in place to be able to make that step up (to the TTPFL tier two)," Thomas said, during a January 15 interview.
"And we're fortunate to be managed by VirtuSpace, who oversees the administrative side of the club."
He said they were accepted into the league in mid-December, with their sessions ahead of the campaign commencing on January 2.
Despite the short turnaround, Thomas said the players put in the work immediately and both he and Cupid are excited to see it reflected on the field.
"Even up to yesterday (January 14) we trained, and we were really impressed with the quality of football the boys were playing...the information that the guys have taken on and how receptive they've been to the information and how they've executed in the short space of time, it's really pleasing to see."
Thomas said at least seven players from last year's Republic Cup under-20 winning team will be in the tier two lineup, and he said the club intends on pursuing their title defence in the popular youth
