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"Keep the academy in St Bess'
President of the St Elizabeth Football Association comes out against mooted movePAUL A REID, Observer West Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, January 03, 2008
MALVERN, St Elizabeth
Courtney Brown, president of the St Elizabeth Football Association, wants the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) academy and training centre to remain in Malvern.
Brown, who was part of the delegation that toured the facilities recently, said he hoped the JFF's executive would take the decision to keep their 3.5-acre facility and would lobby to that end.
A decision on the site for the FIFA-funded academy was to have been made last week, but was deferred until the end of January by which time a review committee is expected to make further reports.
At a recent site inspection by a high -profile team from the JFF, two senior members of the JFF's administration came out against the academy remaining at its present location in the hills of St Elizabeth, directly across from Munro College where the practice fields are to be located.
Former JFF president Lincoln 'Happy' Sutherland and Howard McIntosh, Chairman of the JFF's Technical Committee gave the project thumbs down after the tour with Sutherland, saying the facility was more in keeping with a "boot camp" as opposed to an academy.
On the other side, two other members of the JFF, Academy Committee chairman Carvel Stewart and second vice-president Bruce Gaynor of the St James Football Association, gave their approval.
Debate over the location of the academy has increased since the return of the Horace Burrell-led administration which has promised to "re-examine the issue of the location" of the facility.
The facility, which is being built with funds from FIFA under the Goal Project programme, has so far cost in the region of $35 million.
After the tour, Brown, who was reported to have given a scathing report on the project two months ago, calling it "a waste of FIFA's money", told the Observer West that the location of the academy in the parish would mean a boost for the sport there.
In addition to attracting more sponsorship, he said, the young players would also benefit from the presence of national players and coaches being there.
"An academy in the parish would generate more sponsorship from within the parish and to the parish. Our biggest sponsor now is Wray and Nephew (through Appleton Rum) and despite their main operations being in the parish we have to communicate with the Kingston office for our sponsorship," he said.
Seeking to clarify reports carried in the Observer West recently that he was visiting the facilities for the first time during the tour, Brown said, "It was not the first time I have gone to the property but it was the first time I was meeting the contractor and given a detailed tour of the facilities."
His first impression, he said, was that as a "St Elizabeth man I have always welcomed the idea of the academy being here and I will always welcome it. It has been my personal view that since it has been started and having reached so far and having such great potential it should be allowed to remain here, it should not be moved anywhere else."
Brown said, "If another location is then identified, we should go for a second academy but by all means this one should remain."
There were still some concerns, he said, over some aspects of the facility, the size of some of the areas and the long time it was taking to get it finished.
He said, "My opinion is that the kitchen is still too small, but the dining area, now that we know that there is a patio addition, I am satisfied with the explanation."
Brown said he was "deeply concerned with the length of time it is taking to complete the project- this new administration should have come into office to see a finished product, then we would not be having this discussion."
President of the St Elizabeth Football Association comes out against mooted movePAUL A REID, Observer West Writer
reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, January 03, 2008
MALVERN, St Elizabeth
Courtney Brown, president of the St Elizabeth Football Association, wants the Jamaica Football Federation's (JFF) academy and training centre to remain in Malvern.
Brown, who was part of the delegation that toured the facilities recently, said he hoped the JFF's executive would take the decision to keep their 3.5-acre facility and would lobby to that end.
A decision on the site for the FIFA-funded academy was to have been made last week, but was deferred until the end of January by which time a review committee is expected to make further reports.
At a recent site inspection by a high -profile team from the JFF, two senior members of the JFF's administration came out against the academy remaining at its present location in the hills of St Elizabeth, directly across from Munro College where the practice fields are to be located.
Former JFF president Lincoln 'Happy' Sutherland and Howard McIntosh, Chairman of the JFF's Technical Committee gave the project thumbs down after the tour with Sutherland, saying the facility was more in keeping with a "boot camp" as opposed to an academy.
On the other side, two other members of the JFF, Academy Committee chairman Carvel Stewart and second vice-president Bruce Gaynor of the St James Football Association, gave their approval.
Debate over the location of the academy has increased since the return of the Horace Burrell-led administration which has promised to "re-examine the issue of the location" of the facility.
The facility, which is being built with funds from FIFA under the Goal Project programme, has so far cost in the region of $35 million.
After the tour, Brown, who was reported to have given a scathing report on the project two months ago, calling it "a waste of FIFA's money", told the Observer West that the location of the academy in the parish would mean a boost for the sport there.
In addition to attracting more sponsorship, he said, the young players would also benefit from the presence of national players and coaches being there.
"An academy in the parish would generate more sponsorship from within the parish and to the parish. Our biggest sponsor now is Wray and Nephew (through Appleton Rum) and despite their main operations being in the parish we have to communicate with the Kingston office for our sponsorship," he said.
Seeking to clarify reports carried in the Observer West recently that he was visiting the facilities for the first time during the tour, Brown said, "It was not the first time I have gone to the property but it was the first time I was meeting the contractor and given a detailed tour of the facilities."
His first impression, he said, was that as a "St Elizabeth man I have always welcomed the idea of the academy being here and I will always welcome it. It has been my personal view that since it has been started and having reached so far and having such great potential it should be allowed to remain here, it should not be moved anywhere else."
Brown said, "If another location is then identified, we should go for a second academy but by all means this one should remain."
There were still some concerns, he said, over some aspects of the facility, the size of some of the areas and the long time it was taking to get it finished.
He said, "My opinion is that the kitchen is still too small, but the dining area, now that we know that there is a patio addition, I am satisfied with the explanation."
Brown said he was "deeply concerned with the length of time it is taking to complete the project- this new administration should have come into office to see a finished product, then we would not be having this discussion."
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