Treasure Beach FC seeking to break parish jinx

Western Bureau

Treasure Beach FC is burdened with the task of becoming the first team from St Elizabeth to gain promotion to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) and break a 42-year spell.

Treasure Beach will be looking to overturn last weekend’s 2-1 first-leg semi-finals defeat to Chapelton Maroons FC in the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Tier Two competition on Sunday at Drax Hall in St Ann. The two finalists of the competition will be promoted to next season’s JPL.

The last St Elizabeth representatives to play in the nation’s top-flight football competition were Taffari Lions in 1980. They played in what was then known as the National League.

Concerns have been increased over the past decade, with St Elizabeth being one of the most successful parishes at the schoolboy football leve, but this has not helped the parish to move a club team up to the island’s premier football competition. The parish amassed ten schoolboy titles in the eleven years between 2009 and 2020.

INITIAL OBJECTIVE

Chairman of the club Jason Henzell said they are driven by the fact that the club is still achieving its initial objective while carrying the banner for the parish’s football as they look towards the JPL.

“When we took charge of the club in 1993, our aim was to give back to the community by giving to youths an opportunity. Since then we have grown by leaps and bounds. I was not in favour of us recruiting players from outside the area and becoming a Premier League club, but I am pleased to say that based on the results to date, not only have I been proven wrong, but I am also proud of the club,” Henzell said.

“We are helping youths by giving them the opportunity to play and at a high level, too. One of the aims is for some of them to get scholarships. Getting scholarships can change the trajectory of the lives of these players and their families,” he added.

Patrick Malcolm, the president of the St Elizabeth Football Association, said the entire parish is hoping that Treasure Beach will end their four-decades drought.

“I am really happy for Treasure Beach. This seems to be a jinx for us over the years,” Malcolm said. “I remember Foster Park needed three points from two games and couldn’t get over the line, Black River the same thing, and then St Bess went to the final two years and just couldn’t get there for South-Central in the Premier League playoffs. Let us hope and pray that Treasure Beach can get over the line this year. The St Elizabeth Football Association is supporting them and hope they will break the spell.”

He added: “We do not judge our success and development in terms of having a Premier League team. However, I know the general public is concerned about not having a JPL team, so I hope Treasure Beach can do it and make the parish proud.”