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western bureau
While the region's teams, except for Reno FC, continue to struggle in the 2006-07 Wray & Nephew NPL Football competition, the big issue dominating sporting discussion in western Jamaica is the upcoming football associations annual general meeting (AGM) in St. James and Westmoreland.
Generally, annual general meetings usually focus only on domestic matters. However, this time around, some affiliates are said to be tying their support of the respective presidential aspirants to whom they are aligning themselves to in the upcoming Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) voting congress, in which former president, Captain Horace Burrell, is challenging the incumbent Crenston Boxhill.
In St. James, where the incumbent Lennox Wallace is facing a challenge from his vice-president Orville Powell, some affiliates, including board members, have made it clear that they will be throwing their support behind whichever candidate is supporting Captain Burrell, whose company sponsors the parish's senior knockout competition.
faced with a dilemma
Based on information, the affiliates are faced with a dilemma, as both Wallace and Powell are reportedly supporting Captain Burrell's candidacy. While some affiliates are questioning the authenticity of the respective claims, others are now looking at other issues to determine where their votes will go.
As one who has served on the executive of the St. James FA with both Wallace and Powell, I have had the opportunity of assessing them from close range and while they have radically different styles, I believe I have seen enough positive in them to know that they both mean football well.
In terms of the day-to-day management of the parish's football, Wallace has proven himself to be an extremely effective leader, a factor that has earned him the respect of the players, referees and sponsors. However, when it comes to the hands-on, do-it-yourself-approach, Powell's resume is quite impressive, especially his success in transforming Seba United.
In terms of weaknesses, Wallace is of a somewhat quiet demeanour and is not generally seen as the commanding, assertive and the ready-to-get tough type when the situation warrants it while Powell is seen as somewhat impatient and impulsive, who will get up and walk away if he is unhappy with a situation.
Challenge in the West
Over in Westmoreland, the incumbent president Everton Tomlinson, a staunch ally of Captain Burrell, is reportedly bracing for a challenge from former national technical director Wendell Downswell, who although he has not officially announced his candidacy, is reportedly being encouraged to do so by persons with ties to the Boxhill administration.
Based on what I have been hearing, Tomlinson is extremely popular among the teams involved in the parish's domestic competition because of the high quality sponsorship support he has been able to generate for the parish. In addition, he is being credited for the vast number of talented young footballers who have emerged from the parish's visionary youth programme.
However, while Tomlinson's forceful personality is sometimes considered intimidating, the astute Downswell is seen as calm, cool and meticulous. In addition, those who are supporting Downswell say he also has solid contacts, which could prove helpful, on account of his long association with national football.
As one who is yearning to see western Jamaica's football return to a position of pride, I believe it is absolutely important that affiliates make the right choice.
For me, the right choice should not only be about St. James and Westmoreland, but also about Jamaica.