Paul Wright | Administrations need to improve in 2020

As expected, the last column of the year for any columnist is usually to review the past year and pontificate on the next. This year in sport for Jamaica was a potpourri of ups and downs, highs and lows, the joy of victory, and the agony of defeat for fans. From lacrosse to ice hockey to athletics, Jamaicans have shown the world that whatever a human with the genetic make-up of a Jamaican tries in sports, just assist him or her and eventually kudos and worldwide recognition will follow.

It is that quality that makes kit sponsors eager to offer sporting organisations million-dollar deals, just to have a Jamaican wear their product while competing. So, one could ask, how come 2019 was littered with “highs and lows, ups and downs, the joy of victory, and the agony of defeat”? The range of emotions and mind-boggling results really have nothing to do with the innate ability of the Jamaican at play. It all comes down to the LEADERSHIP of the particular sport. This year proved to be, in my estimation, one of the worst years of sport administration that we have witnessed. It will be difficult to go through the many sporting organisations in this country that have had unusual results that can be laid mainly at the feet of administration.

In netball, Jamaica went from a high of being in the top two nations that play the sport, to ignominious defeat and results in the Netball World Cup this year. Basically the same girls, just a change in hierarchy at the coaching staff and an association littered with resignations, reports of interference with on-the-field play, and a leader who abandoned that organisation. Elite athletes are elite because they are different from the average person. Their skill and athletic ability place them apart from their peers; but they, like everyone else, need supervision and understanding, while ensuring that the team benefits from whatever decision is taken. Coaches are selected because of their record and expertise. Elite athletes, with time and experience, believe that they know what is needed for success. Therefore, there has to be an understanding about whose word and decisions are superior/relevant during a tour. After the tour, then a review will, in most cases, identify the problem and if the coach or athletes made the right decisions, decisive action follows. On tour or during a game is just not the place for dissent and hostility.

Groundbreaking achievement

In football, the duo of Hue Menzies and Lorne Donaldson, with the financial backing of the Bob Marley Foundation, successfully took and blended a diverse group of women into qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a significant and groundbreaking achievement. What could be the thinking behind decisions by those in charge of football, for provoking and disrespecting the architects of the occasion, while at the same time inserting themselves and their associates and followers in an orgy of spending that left the principals unpaid? Since the heady days of former national senior men’s team technical director Rene Simoes and former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, the late Captain Horace Burrell, football in Jamaica has been having a serious problem with financial support. The leader has to have a plan or a success rate of attracting sponsors.

Leadership positions in sports cannot be solely for self-gratification. It is hard work and as such, fundraising, diplomacy and an ability to communicate must be, should be foremost in the minds of those who seek leadership positions in sports. I am aware that there are occasions when aspirants are encouraged to take up leadership positions, only to find out, while in office, that chairman or president is not what he or she seemed to be. At that point, true leaders put up their hands and call it a day. The reasons vocalised by these men and women vary, but their removal or absence benefits the sport and they can say with some amount of pride, “I tried”.

Unfortunately, in Jamaica, no leader voluntarily walks away. Sometimes it is the athletes themselves who put down their feet and demand change, but sometimes it is the fans who say, “no mas” (no more), but ultimately it is the country’s leadership who have a duty to identify problems in the number one unifier of a nation: sports, and DO SOMETHING to stop the rot. A close look at the way in which leaders of sporting organisations are chosen shows it is obvious that outside interference is pooh-poohed. But when a nation’s emotional, and sometimes economic, well-being is threatened, action is mandatory.

In cricket, the actions of one or two whose votes matter in determining the future of West Indies cricket, paved the way for a revival of the spirit of West Indian fans of international cricket. In football, waiting on the goodwill of those in charge of selecting the leadership of local football and netball does not seem to be the answer. Change in the leadership of local football and netball in 2020 is essential for the revival of the fortunes of women’s and junior football and our Sunshine Girls. The fans and supporters of local sport have an important role to play in 2020. We cannot fail!

A safe and prosperous new year to all.

Dr Paul Wright is a sports medicine specialist and radio personality.