‘It is shameful’

Western Bureau:

THE STATUS of football and sports on a whole in western Jamaica has been on the decline for the past two decades, with poorly managed and dilapidated sports facilities in the region providing the most glaring signs of this.

The ongoing schoolboy football season highlighted the pitfalls of the region’s facilities as the parish of Hanover failed to produce a facility that met the requirements to host a daCosta Cup first-round match with the addition of COVID-19 protocols. It has been described as a shame for a parish that boasts a school like Rusea’s High School, one of the most successful schools in schoolboy football’s history, to not have proper facilities.

Westmoreland narrowly met the standard with the Llandilo Sports Complex, as the famous Frome Sports Complex, home of Super League Club and former National Premier League winners FC Reno, is dilapidated.

When asked about his position on the condition of football facilities in the parish, Everton Tomlinson, president of the Westmoreland Football Association, expressed disappointment.

“It’s one of the sore points and it’s my desire, wish and dream to see Jamaica’s private sector, JFF and the Government pay attention to developing proper facilities for the next generation. Without it, all our efforts will be in vain,” Tomlinson said.

“I am trying my best with the little resources that I have to ensure that at least in Westmoreland there is a facility. Even though we were able to host the daCosta Cup, our facility needs a lot more help,” he added.

He continued: “If we are going to take sports seriously when we talk about qualification to World Cups and teaching, then the subject of football and sports on a whole have to be treated with priority.”

Dwayne Ambusley, coach of Rusea’s High School in Lucea, Hanover, said the lack of facilities really impacted their season.

MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT

Rusea’s is the second most successful school in rural area under-19 football history, boasting 11 daCosta Cup titles with their last coming in 2017, four Ben Francis Knockout Cups and three Olivier Shields.

“It is a major disappointment. It is shameful for the parish to not have a field up to the standard to host even a daCosta Cup game,” Ambusley said.

“Our field was under renovation so it was bad timing for us. However, we have Hopewell, Green Island and Watson Taylor Park. Even though games couldn’t be played at Watson Taylor Park, we didn’t even have a training field. We trained on a 20x30m at Watson Taylor Park and then to come out and play in the competition is not easy,” he added.

Ambusley continued to explain that, although disappointing, Rusea’s first-round elimination in this year’s ISSA daCosta Cup was understandable.

The quality of other sports has also suffered, as the past two Jamaica Premier League seasons did not feature a team from the region. The last two seasons mark the first time in decades that this has happened.

Tomlinson said over the years he witnessed millions of taxpayer dollars going to relative waste as the facilities are not attractive or beneficial to sports in western Jamaica, despite the economic growth of the hospitality industry.

WASTED MONEY

“The Government wasted millions of dollars on a field in New Market, Delveland and years ago one up in Bog. Just recently (July) they built one in Negril costing 80-odd million, where they didn’t even invite the Westmorland FA or any of the football experts to the table. They are just putting down what they want for political mileage,” Tomlinson said.

“We need proper facilities and playing surfaces to develop the youth’s minds by taking them away from crime. The tourists and returning residents don’t even have a walking facility. We need to have our citizens at a comfortable place where they leave work and can come to the sports complex, use a gym and socialise. If the Government can look in that direction, then I believe crime and violence will be a thing of the past,” he added.

sports@gleanerjm.com