Wed | Jan 1, 2025

Follow us - Shaw tells other confeds to become more like KSAFA

Published:Friday | April 27, 2018 | 12:00 AMAkino Ming/Gleaner Writer
Pause
Shaw
Ian Allen
Kimani Morgan (left) from Olympic Gardens FCtries to get pass a tackling Calvin Stewart from Greenwich Town during a KSAFA/Magnum Major League football match at the Tinson Pen Oval in St Andrew earlier this year.
Anette Atkinson, senior manager of Corporate Affairs and Communication at Guardian Life Limited, and Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) president Wayne Shaw, pose with the victorious Holy Family Football Team after they won the Guardian Life/KSAFA Under 10 football competition at Football Factory recently.
1
2
3

President of the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA), Wayne Shaw, said although he would welcome a franchise system in Jamaica, he believes KSAFA's approach to football administration is a successful model, which should be replicated elsewhere.

Jamaica Football Federation president, Michael Ricketts sparked debate after telling The Gleaner two weeks ago that the federation is seriously considering to revisit a switch to a franchise system for the nation's top flight.

"I welcome the Franchise system. We just need some more information on how it is going to be done and when it is going to be implemented and where the funds are going to come from to finance it. Franchise football is a very expensive venture," Shaw said. "We would also want to know how many Franchises will KSAFA be given."

The administrator was, however, quick to note that there is much to gain from a strong organisational structure and stakeholder engagement - hallmarks of his confederation's model.

"I think they (confederations) need to take a page out of our book. Some parishes don't have Under-13 and Under-15 football, so how are they going to develop? That is one of the ways to go, you have to start early. We have Under 13, 15, 17 and 20, then Super League," Shaw said.

He said that the confederations should be organised in such a way as to attract sponsorships to develop talents from the grass root level.

"The St Ann academy did it and you see where they won the Under 13 competition," Shaw said.

He pointed out that KSAFA and the St Catherine FA are well structured and it reflects in the number of teams they have in the Red Stripe Premier League.

"St Catherine and KSAFA are basically playing all of these competitions. The other parishes are not going to develop if they continue like this. We have seven (teams) in the last Premier League season. One was relegated and I can tell you now that any team that win the Super League, automatically qualifies for the Premier League because our clubs are stronger," Shaw explained.

 

Organisation counts

 

When asked whether his confederation is at an advantage because it is situated in the country's most commercial district and thus is more accessible to sponsorships, Shaw noted that better organisation also contributes to sponsors gravitating to KSAFA and its teams.

"Sponsorship has a lot to do with it, but it is our organisation which caused them to want to work with us. Sponsors want their products to sell and we ensure that these things are done," he said. "We ensure that it is in the media and they are seeing it everywhere, so it helps to sell their products. And this is why they gravitate to KSAFA."

He continued: "We have sponsors as far as from St Mary. So it is not proximity, it is just that we are better prepared for business."

Shaw, however, said that he would welcome a Franchise system if the plan is clearly laid out.