Bring Back the Love to honour pillars in football community
Published:Saturday | May 20, 2023 | 12:25 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
In continuing the tradition of recognising those who have made sterling contributions to local football, the annual Bring Back the Love After Labour charity football event will seek to honour those whose impact has not made headlines, but nonetheless has been critical to their respective communities.
The charity football match will take place next week Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex with the traditional entertainers versus Masters and Celebrities game. Among those who are scheduled to participate include Olympian Jermaine Gonzales, Professional Football Jamaica Limited CEO Owen Hill, Arnett Gardens assistant head coach Eric Rademakers, as well as entertainers Wayne Marshall and Christopher Martin.
Past honorees at the event included Jamaica Football Federation president Michael Ricketts, RJR Hotline host Dr Orville Taylor, Mount Pleasant FA owner Peter Gould, national striker Jodi Brown, as well as St Ann Football Association president Danny Beckford. This year’s honorees, Delroy Myers, Levi Palmer and Sonia Bloomfield are being celebrated for their contributions as vendors to the communities of Arnett Gardens, Waterhouse and Olympic Gardens. Speaking at Wednesday’s launch, event organiser Clive ‘Busy’ Campbell said it was important that those who sometimes are overlooked and work hard to provide a living for themselves be recognised as bringing value to the football experience of their various communities.
HONEST LIVING
“Oftentimes we tend to pay little or no attention to the man on the street, the people who really make things happen, the people who struggle daily to show up no matter how hard it is to do so, the people who consistently struggle to make ends meet,” Campbell said, “It was very easy to make the decision to recognise these persons, whether we want to admit it or not, they provide something that most of us look forward to having at matches.”
Campbell praised the resilience and work ethic of Myers, Palmer and Bloomfield as examples of persons who make an honest living, not resorting to crime.
“There is no quick way of earning money legally. It takes dedication and hard work. These three individuals ply their trade with grace and it is clear that over the years they have spent time to perfect what they do, as well to provide what we all look forward to buying,” Campbell said.
The exhibition match put on by Masters and Celebrities returned to full strength last year in St Ann after COVID-19 caused a two-year hiatus, although the awards ceremony still took place.