Game Over: Caribbean Soccer League Cancels Season After Being Locked Out of Field

There will be no goals and penalty shots made during a popular soccer tournament in Flatbush this year. The Caribbean Premier League Soccer (CPLS), which hosts an annual tournament featuring teams representing Caribbean and African nations at the Old Boys and Girls High School Field, was forced to cancel this year’s games after being denied permission to use the field, now managed by Eagle Academy Brooklyn.

Eagle Academy, located in Ocean Hill, took over management of the field last summer just as the CPLS tournament was coming to an end. Before the final game, the league was told by the school that the field would need to be renovated, and the season ended without a championship game, according to Omotola Goulding, the vice president of CPLS.

“They assured us that we would be able to finish the last game of the finals for last year’s tournament when the renovation is complete,” said Goulding. “When we attempted to get a permit to be able to proceed with our program this year, we faced numerous pushbacks.”

The field’s close proximity to Flatbush’s large Caribbean community, as well as its safety (the field is enclosed by a tall stone fence) make it the ideal venue for the tournament, according to Goulding.

After applying for a permit to use the field this year on Sundays from May through September, Goulding said they were told by Eagle Academy that there were concerns with the field’s integrity. This confused the league, as the field, which is built for football, had been mostly used for soccer and soccer cleats are much less destructive on the turf than football cleats, Goulding said. 

“We told them that's fine if in the integrity of the field is a concern, we can add in our program that the players must play with turf cleats instead of cleats with pegs,“ said Goulding. “They told us they're not going to provide us with the permit for the field regardless.“

Following the field's renovation, which was completed earlier this year, the team was told that the school was not interested in hosting events for adults at the field, to which the league argued that many of their players are teenagers.

“Every year we have coaches coming to look at kids for scholarships” said Dunstan Gilbert, director of CPLS. “The set of younger kids, now they have nowhere to play.”

The absence of soccer on the field this year is a major break from tradition. Before CPLS used the field, other soccer tournaments had been held at the field going back to the 1980s.

“For the 35 years I've been in this country, I've been going to that field and either playing, coaching or watching soccer here during the summer. This is the first year I can recall no soccer on that field,” said Goulding. 

CPLS is not the only organization that’s had difficulty security permits from Eagle Brooklyn since they took control of the field. Organizers for Grenada Day and Guyana Day festivals also faced obstacles, with Grenada Day only receiving permission to host their August 18 event two weeks ago, according to Goulding.

When Vivia Morgan, director and co-founder of the nonprofit Friends of Wingate Park, caught wind that CPLS was denied access to the field, she created a petition to raise awareness.

“This field has been more than just a sports venue; it has been a cultural hub where people from all backgrounds gather to celebrate their love for soccer and other sports,” said Morgan in the petition. “The significance of this field extends beyond Brooklyn. If you visit Jamaica and mention the Old Boys Field, you'll often hear, "Yes, that's where they have the West Indian soccer tournaments."

Morgan also said she’s been unable to secure a permit for her organization’s annual community expo that takes place there. “I don't know if they're (new management) aware of the significance of the fact that people rely on these events,” said Morgan. “We look forward to going to these events.”

Eagle Academy Brooklyn did not respond to requests for comment.

With last year’s final shelved and this year’s season scrapped, the league is facing a constant barrage of questions from their players and the community.

“I have 14 different teams that are constantly calling me, constantly inquiring. I do not have any sound answer for them,” said Goulding. “Our platform is tremendous, and it's sad that we're not able to provide the service that we've been doing to the Caribbean community.”