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National duo helping to build Tivoli vibe Published: Saturday | September 11, 2010
Boyd (left) celebrates with Daley after scoring a goal.
Keammar Daley on the ball.
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
SUNRISE, Florida: They call him "Dada", but at age 22, Keammar Daley is way too young to nurture the revival of an entire community's [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]spirits by himself.
So Daley will have 21-year-old fellow Jamaica national player Navion Boyd, and the rest of Tivoli Gardens Football Club, to help him during this season's Digicel Premier League [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] (DPL). Their task is straightforward.
"We want to dedicate this season to the fans and community for the tragedy they've been through," said Daley, as he relaxed at a hotel here prior to Jamaica's recent international friendly against Peru, days before Tivoli's first home game against Sporting Central tomorrow.
"That can probably put a smile back on their faces."
Residents of Tivoli Gardens still frown on one of the darkest episodes in Jamaica's history that happened right in their own backyard earlier this year. Memories of violent clashes between security forces and gunmen in the west Kingston community, sparked by the Government's attempt to capture and extradite area leader Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, still lingers like a festering sore. The mental stain caused by dozens killed and injured, hundreds detained - including club veteran and former Reggae Boy Steve Green - plus millions of dollars in property damage[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], has not been washed away.
return to normality
The incident was like puncturing a football. The air of enthusiasm hissed out of the community. Now, months later, Tivoli is still not fully patched. The constant presence of security forces underlines a not-so-subtle reminder that the community is not what it used to be.
"One time you could party a whole lot in Tivoli," said Boyd, a nimble-footed attacker, explaining the community's return to normality. "I think that's just the difference nowadays. It's not a whole heap of partying anymore."
The club is hoping to gift the community reasons to celebrate again. It will be a long haul. Tivoli, which added national striker Devon Hodges in 2010, has always been a competitive DPL team. Two seasons ago the club won the DPL. But in the summer of 2009, word of the United States' demand for Coke hit the headlines. Uneasiness crept into Tivoli - club and community.
"Round about that time, when the arguments started to surface about the area leader, some of the supporters got kind of tense," said Daley, then in his first season at Tivoli. "They wondered what kind of outcome there would be. The players were also wondering what would happen."
The club's luck turned worse when national player Orane Simpson, a talismanic figure who had scored the winning goal in a final-round victory over Arnett Gardens to lead Tivoli to the 2008-09 title, was stabbed to death last October. By the time the violence erupted this year, the club's fortunes had dwindled.
"About half the players from Tivoli started to miss training," Daley said, recalling events of May, 2010. "Based on everything popping up, maybe they were getting concerned about their safety and family."
Tivoli sputtered and eventually surrendered their title to Harbour View. Coach Lenworth Hyde was fired at the end of the season. Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey has returned to the club he once guided. According to Boyd and Daley, the club has long set the tone for this season.
"Last year we were thrown off," said Daley. "But this year the coaching staff decided to give it another shot for Orane and also the community and the lives taken."
It is almost like Tivoli have to win. The club needs the community. The community is relying on the club.
"The team is ... like a doctor to a patient," Boyd explained. "That's what the community is like to the team and the team is like to the community."
The co-therapists appear to have taken additional steps to embrace each other tighter. Tivoli moved its training sessions [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
to the evenings, which allows more supporters to watch. Boyd also noticed the unusually large number of fans who travelled to Tivoli's first game of the season on August 29,d football and getting them to come out can actually settle their mind from a 3-1 road win against Benfica of St Ann.
"The football[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR], it has started to help already because even since we started training in the evenings ... there are crowds at the training sessions. So I think (the vibes) is starting to come back," he said.
"... Playing goo
what (is) really happening down (in Tivoli).Watch some football and know that there is something else to do."
dig deeper
Boyd hears the conversations from the stands. The "talk", he said, is usually about football, not gruesome events of May, 2010. It is an escape from a world that - though very real - is one they can forget ... for a while.
"I think the police force and the army are still patrolling (in Tivoli)," Boyd added. "So nobody really wants to be talking about that at the moment."
Tivoli's players know the club's success is a responsibility they cannot take lightly. It's time to return the love. The players understand they must dig deeper in 2010-11.
"They (the community) view the (the club's football) highly," said Daley. "It's something that they look forward to every year. They also turn out for the games, especially the kids. They love football. That is one of the things that draws me to prove myself to the fans and club. The football helps the community. The football and the other sports help keep the community."
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports7.html
Boyd (left) celebrates with Daley after scoring a goal.
Keammar Daley on the ball.
Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer
SUNRISE, Florida: They call him "Dada", but at age 22, Keammar Daley is way too young to nurture the revival of an entire community's [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR]spirits by himself.
So Daley will have 21-year-old fellow Jamaica national player Navion Boyd, and the rest of Tivoli Gardens Football Club, to help him during this season's Digicel Premier League [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] (DPL). Their task is straightforward.
"We want to dedicate this season to the fans and community for the tragedy they've been through," said Daley, as he relaxed at a hotel here prior to Jamaica's recent international friendly against Peru, days before Tivoli's first home game against Sporting Central tomorrow.
"That can probably put a smile back on their faces."
Residents of Tivoli Gardens still frown on one of the darkest episodes in Jamaica's history that happened right in their own backyard earlier this year. Memories of violent clashes between security forces and gunmen in the west Kingston community, sparked by the Government's attempt to capture and extradite area leader Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, still lingers like a festering sore. The mental stain caused by dozens killed and injured, hundreds detained - including club veteran and former Reggae Boy Steve Green - plus millions of dollars in property damage[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], has not been washed away.
return to normality
The incident was like puncturing a football. The air of enthusiasm hissed out of the community. Now, months later, Tivoli is still not fully patched. The constant presence of security forces underlines a not-so-subtle reminder that the community is not what it used to be.
"One time you could party a whole lot in Tivoli," said Boyd, a nimble-footed attacker, explaining the community's return to normality. "I think that's just the difference nowadays. It's not a whole heap of partying anymore."
The club is hoping to gift the community reasons to celebrate again. It will be a long haul. Tivoli, which added national striker Devon Hodges in 2010, has always been a competitive DPL team. Two seasons ago the club won the DPL. But in the summer of 2009, word of the United States' demand for Coke hit the headlines. Uneasiness crept into Tivoli - club and community.
"Round about that time, when the arguments started to surface about the area leader, some of the supporters got kind of tense," said Daley, then in his first season at Tivoli. "They wondered what kind of outcome there would be. The players were also wondering what would happen."
The club's luck turned worse when national player Orane Simpson, a talismanic figure who had scored the winning goal in a final-round victory over Arnett Gardens to lead Tivoli to the 2008-09 title, was stabbed to death last October. By the time the violence erupted this year, the club's fortunes had dwindled.
"About half the players from Tivoli started to miss training," Daley said, recalling events of May, 2010. "Based on everything popping up, maybe they were getting concerned about their safety and family."
Tivoli sputtered and eventually surrendered their title to Harbour View. Coach Lenworth Hyde was fired at the end of the season. Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey has returned to the club he once guided. According to Boyd and Daley, the club has long set the tone for this season.
"Last year we were thrown off," said Daley. "But this year the coaching staff decided to give it another shot for Orane and also the community and the lives taken."
It is almost like Tivoli have to win. The club needs the community. The community is relying on the club.
"The team is ... like a doctor to a patient," Boyd explained. "That's what the community is like to the team and the team is like to the community."
The co-therapists appear to have taken additional steps to embrace each other tighter. Tivoli moved its training sessions [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]
to the evenings, which allows more supporters to watch. Boyd also noticed the unusually large number of fans who travelled to Tivoli's first game of the season on August 29,d football and getting them to come out can actually settle their mind from a 3-1 road win against Benfica of St Ann.
"The football[COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][/COLOR][/COLOR], it has started to help already because even since we started training in the evenings ... there are crowds at the training sessions. So I think (the vibes) is starting to come back," he said.
"... Playing goo
what (is) really happening down (in Tivoli).Watch some football and know that there is something else to do."
dig deeper
Boyd hears the conversations from the stands. The "talk", he said, is usually about football, not gruesome events of May, 2010. It is an escape from a world that - though very real - is one they can forget ... for a while.
"I think the police force and the army are still patrolling (in Tivoli)," Boyd added. "So nobody really wants to be talking about that at the moment."
Tivoli's players know the club's success is a responsibility they cannot take lightly. It's time to return the love. The players understand they must dig deeper in 2010-11.
"They (the community) view the (the club's football) highly," said Daley. "It's something that they look forward to every year. They also turn out for the games, especially the kids. They love football. That is one of the things that draws me to prove myself to the fans and club. The football helps the community. The football and the other sports help keep the community."
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...s/sports7.html