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Bell/Ziadie Memorial teams up with PFJL

Published:Wednesday | October 12, 2022 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
From left: Dwayne Anderson, sales and marketing mananger, Riddim FM; Glenroy Brown, St George’s College Old Boys’ representitive; Lorna Bell, executive director Special Olympics Caribbean Initiative; Crystal Young, Boom marketing coordinator; Machel Tu
Daniel Wheeler Photo
From left: Dwayne Anderson, sales and marketing mananger, Riddim FM; Glenroy Brown, St George’s College Old Boys’ representitive; Lorna Bell, executive director Special Olympics Caribbean Initiative; Crystal Young, Boom marketing coordinator; Machel Turner, PJFL operations manager, Clive Busy Campbell, Bell/Ziadie Memorial Organiser; and Clive Dixon Bell/Ziadie Memorial honouree.

AFTER A two-year hiatus, the Bell/Ziadie Memorial Football Festival will return with the traditional football exhibition patrons are used to with the added support of Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), a partnership that organiser Clive Campbell says will raise the profile of the annual event, while keeping its traditions of honouring the stalwarts of local football.

Campbell was speaking at yesterday’s launch, which will see the classic invitational matches return to their traditional Heroes Day (October 17) slate, along with the staging of the BOOM El Clasico preseason game between Waterhouse and Arnett Gardens, which will take place at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

It will be the first time the annual football festival will occur since the COVID-19 pandemic although persons who have made significant contributions to local football have been honoured in the interim. With the festival back at full strength, Campbell said the PFJL partnership hopes that this will be a new chapter for the event.

“I hope that the patrons will come out and support seeing that we are honouring people who have contributed to the game for many years and are still active. There are so many players who want to be a part of it, maybe because of the three matches and the feature game between Waterhouse and Arnett Gardens,” Campbell told The Gleaner.

“This is the start of something new.”

Both events had initially clashed but the new arrangement sees them pulling in the same direction and PFJL Operations Manager Machel Turner said the merger was not difficult to come by. According to Turner, unity in sport as well as facilitating its progress was a goal both organisations share.

“For football, it is necessary to be unified and that is the only way that we are going to get anywhere. Coming together with the Bell/Ziadie memorial, honouring the past and some pioneers of football in Jamaica while we are trying to move the sport forward was an easy decision,” Turner said.

This year, the festival will honour the late Christopher Ziadie, former national and St George’s College player who passed away last month after a long illness as well as former Constant Spring FC manager, Neville Lyn, who died last year. The other honourees include former under-20 national coach, Emerson Henry, and referee and former Boys’ Town FC player, Clive Dixon.

Turner said that honouring Ziadie’s legacy was important in addition to bringing the country together in the midst of trying circumstances.

“We see the times. It is something that football and sports in general is a unifying tool. And to be able to do that at this time is a good thing and hopefully it has an impact going forward,” Turner said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com