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St Bess fans plan warm welcome for 'adopted' Reno
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer
Sunday, October 22, 2006
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth - Football fans in St Elizabeth are expected to turn out in large numbers this afternoon to welcome the return of national club football to the parish.
Because of problems with their home field for the past 30 years or so, former three-time champions Reno FC will host Naggo Head at the newly-refurbished facilities at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz, and according to Courtney Brown, president of the St Elizabeth Football Association, he expects the fans to turn out in their thousands.
With the exception of pre-season friendlies, there have not been any national club league teams playing in St Elizabeth since the late 1970s with Tafari Lions and Santa United, and Brown said the St Bess fans are hungry for the game.
According to Brown, "St Elizabeth people are dying to see Premier League football. Last season we played about three pre-season games - Portmore, Seba and Wadadah - and the turnout we got was tremendous," he said, adding, "even when we look at our own parish league finals recently, we had about 8,000 people standing to see the game."
He added, "People in St Elizabeth really love the football and the games will be a showpiece for our players and they will want even more to be a part of it."
Brown stressed that when the St Elizabeth FA gave Reno their blessings to play home games in the parish, they told them they were not in a position to offer them affiliate status right now.
He said when he was contacted by the Reno management, "I told them at this stage I would not want to have them as an affiliate of the parish. In the interest of cordial relations between the parish associations, I told them we would just grant permission for them to have some training sessions and to play home games until they sort out their problems at home and can go back."
Brown said he advised the Reno team to get permission from STETHS to use the facilities as the St Elizabeth FA had no control over it, then to come back to them, at which time he gave them his blessings to play matches in the parish on a temporary basis.
The St Elizabeth FA boss told the Sunday Observer it has always been near the top of their priority list to get Premier League football in the parish.
"It has always been my aim since assuming office in 2003 to get Premier League in the parish," he said.
"This is not really how we wanted it to be... but I remember in 2003 I said by 2005 Premier League would be in the parish live. At our last presentation ceremony which was held in September I said 2008 would not be too late," Brown quipped.
The plan now, he said, was to try and qualify at least three teams to the South Central Confederation Super League, then take it from there.
As for Reno playing in their adopted parish for the next month or so, Brown said, "We will welcome them with open arms. We will do everything to make them welcome - people refer to St Elizabeth as a host parish and we will give them the necessary support they need."
"We're not taking them away from Westmoreland because we need to have good relationships with the other parish associations, but at this time we need to help our neighbouring parishes, and we have not asked them to switch," he emphasised.
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer
Sunday, October 22, 2006
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth - Football fans in St Elizabeth are expected to turn out in large numbers this afternoon to welcome the return of national club football to the parish.
Because of problems with their home field for the past 30 years or so, former three-time champions Reno FC will host Naggo Head at the newly-refurbished facilities at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz, and according to Courtney Brown, president of the St Elizabeth Football Association, he expects the fans to turn out in their thousands.
With the exception of pre-season friendlies, there have not been any national club league teams playing in St Elizabeth since the late 1970s with Tafari Lions and Santa United, and Brown said the St Bess fans are hungry for the game.
According to Brown, "St Elizabeth people are dying to see Premier League football. Last season we played about three pre-season games - Portmore, Seba and Wadadah - and the turnout we got was tremendous," he said, adding, "even when we look at our own parish league finals recently, we had about 8,000 people standing to see the game."
He added, "People in St Elizabeth really love the football and the games will be a showpiece for our players and they will want even more to be a part of it."
Brown stressed that when the St Elizabeth FA gave Reno their blessings to play home games in the parish, they told them they were not in a position to offer them affiliate status right now.
He said when he was contacted by the Reno management, "I told them at this stage I would not want to have them as an affiliate of the parish. In the interest of cordial relations between the parish associations, I told them we would just grant permission for them to have some training sessions and to play home games until they sort out their problems at home and can go back."
Brown said he advised the Reno team to get permission from STETHS to use the facilities as the St Elizabeth FA had no control over it, then to come back to them, at which time he gave them his blessings to play matches in the parish on a temporary basis.
The St Elizabeth FA boss told the Sunday Observer it has always been near the top of their priority list to get Premier League football in the parish.
"It has always been my aim since assuming office in 2003 to get Premier League in the parish," he said.
"This is not really how we wanted it to be... but I remember in 2003 I said by 2005 Premier League would be in the parish live. At our last presentation ceremony which was held in September I said 2008 would not be too late," Brown quipped.
The plan now, he said, was to try and qualify at least three teams to the South Central Confederation Super League, then take it from there.
As for Reno playing in their adopted parish for the next month or so, Brown said, "We will welcome them with open arms. We will do everything to make them welcome - people refer to St Elizabeth as a host parish and we will give them the necessary support they need."
"We're not taking them away from Westmoreland because we need to have good relationships with the other parish associations, but at this time we need to help our neighbouring parishes, and we have not asked them to switch," he emphasised.
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