KSAFA eyes league completion
Published:Saturday | April 4, 2020 | 12:17 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) general secretary Dwayne Dillion says the body still aims to complete its competitions. This decision comes after a meeting between of KSAFA officials on Thursday.
But Dillon said everything is dependent on how soon the society returns to normal after the suspension and postponement of sports competitions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. KSAFA is also considering whether it will get to finish its competitions before the start of the All-Island Confederations play-offs for promotion to the Red Stripe Premier League.
“We want to and we intend to complete the competitions (Super and Major Leagues),” Dillion said. “That is our aim and objective, but everything is dependent on how soon we are able to get back to some level of normalcy. We also have to work with the JFF (Jamaica Football Federation) in terms of preparing for the Premier League play-offs. Because while our Major League winner will go to the Super League, which we have control of, we don’t have control of the play-offs. That is a matter for the JFF, so we have to work with them in a timeline,” he said.
Both leagues were passed the midway mark in the group stages and only had a few games remaining before the start of the play-offs, and Dillon believes they only need about four weeks to conclude the tournaments.
“We can always increase the number of games by having two games a week,” he said. “So we are looking at a month to complete, but it all depends on the time frame we get to resume, and (for) our parent body (JFF) to organise and finalise the approach for the play-offs,” he continued.
The under-17 competitions which usually start in April are all but cancelled. Dillon, says it would be difficult to host the tournament over the summer, as the Under-13s and Under-15s, usually take precedence and they didn’t want to congest fixtures.
“Under-17 is usually [in] April, and while the final decision has not been made, it is almost cancelled,” he said. “We wouldn’t start the under-17 until a month after [the Major and Super Leagues], so that would take us into the summer, and we really and truly want to ensure we engage the youths.”