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St James football - a sad tale of neglect<DIV class=KonaBody Ar6jv="true">
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Based on what I saw when I visited the unfinished Cath-erine Hall Stadium earlier this week, I don't believe it is possible to have the facility in a state of readiness to host Wray & Nephew NPL games by January 15 as was promised by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), through the Urban Development Cor-poration (UDC).
Except for several loads of marl which have been spread at the entrance to the playing area, there is nothing to suggest that any real effort is being made to have the facility ready for use by Seba United and Wadadah FC, who are now without a home venue as a consequence of Jarrett Park being closed to facilitate preparation for Cricket World Cup.
Like the average football fan here in western Jamaica, I am extremely disappointed that after giving up Jarrett Park to cricket with the understanding that Catherine Hall would have been made ready to host football by the end of the year, it now appears that we were duped by those who made the promise.
While it is technically still possible to have the temporary stands erected by January 15, since, according to the workmen at the facility, that exercise could be completed in two days, even if we bring in the Chinese from the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, I don't think it is possible to have the perimeter fencing and changing rooms in place anytime soon.
Although it could be argued that games could be played once seating is in place at Catherine Hall, from a practical standpoint that would make very little sense to Wadadah and Seba. Gate receipt is absolutely crucial to the survival of Wadadah, and seating without a secured perimeter fence would not meet their need for revenue generation.
Personally, I seriously doubt that the teams would be prepared to use the Catherine Hall facility without changing rooms and perimeter fencing, and from what I saw on Tuesday, I don't believe these most necessary fixtures could be put in place in under three to four weeks.
When one considers that a month from now the warm-up cricket games slated for Jarrett Park would have been completed or near completion, paving the way for a return of football to Jarrett Park, it is quite conceivable that Jarrett Park might be available before Catherine Hall is ready to host football.
With the OPM and the UDC seemingly backing down on an earlier promise to have the temporary stands remain in St. James after they are removed from Catherine Hall to make way for the erection of permanent stands there, maybe it is a grand waste of time to bring them here since there is a strong possibility that they might not be used.
Personally, I feel sorry for the management of Seba United and Wadadah, who are now saddled with the problem of trying to find a suitable venue for their home games. Surely, with all this distraction and dislocation, they must be at a disadvantage to the other NPL teams, who have their facility intact, and in the case of Kingston teams, high quality sponsorship support.
When one looks at the contribution that St. James has made to national football over the years in terms of producing quality players such as Lester 'Fairy Boot' Alcock, Allie McNab, Paul 'Tegat' Davis, Winston 'Twinny Bug' Anglin and Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, among others, there is absolutely no question that the parish has been short-changed in terms of being rewarded for its contribution.
In addition, it must be a colossal insult that after contributing so much to the national coffers through tourism, the only playing facility of note in St. James is the much overused Jarrett Park, which happens to be a gift to the people of St. James from a private family.
</DIV>Based on what I saw when I visited the unfinished Cath-erine Hall Stadium earlier this week, I don't believe it is possible to have the facility in a state of readiness to host Wray & Nephew NPL games by January 15 as was promised by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), through the Urban Development Cor-poration (UDC).
Except for several loads of marl which have been spread at the entrance to the playing area, there is nothing to suggest that any real effort is being made to have the facility ready for use by Seba United and Wadadah FC, who are now without a home venue as a consequence of Jarrett Park being closed to facilitate preparation for Cricket World Cup.
Like the average football fan here in western Jamaica, I am extremely disappointed that after giving up Jarrett Park to cricket with the understanding that Catherine Hall would have been made ready to host football by the end of the year, it now appears that we were duped by those who made the promise.
While it is technically still possible to have the temporary stands erected by January 15, since, according to the workmen at the facility, that exercise could be completed in two days, even if we bring in the Chinese from the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, I don't think it is possible to have the perimeter fencing and changing rooms in place anytime soon.
Although it could be argued that games could be played once seating is in place at Catherine Hall, from a practical standpoint that would make very little sense to Wadadah and Seba. Gate receipt is absolutely crucial to the survival of Wadadah, and seating without a secured perimeter fence would not meet their need for revenue generation.
Personally, I seriously doubt that the teams would be prepared to use the Catherine Hall facility without changing rooms and perimeter fencing, and from what I saw on Tuesday, I don't believe these most necessary fixtures could be put in place in under three to four weeks.
When one considers that a month from now the warm-up cricket games slated for Jarrett Park would have been completed or near completion, paving the way for a return of football to Jarrett Park, it is quite conceivable that Jarrett Park might be available before Catherine Hall is ready to host football.
With the OPM and the UDC seemingly backing down on an earlier promise to have the temporary stands remain in St. James after they are removed from Catherine Hall to make way for the erection of permanent stands there, maybe it is a grand waste of time to bring them here since there is a strong possibility that they might not be used.
Personally, I feel sorry for the management of Seba United and Wadadah, who are now saddled with the problem of trying to find a suitable venue for their home games. Surely, with all this distraction and dislocation, they must be at a disadvantage to the other NPL teams, who have their facility intact, and in the case of Kingston teams, high quality sponsorship support.
When one looks at the contribution that St. James has made to national football over the years in terms of producing quality players such as Lester 'Fairy Boot' Alcock, Allie McNab, Paul 'Tegat' Davis, Winston 'Twinny Bug' Anglin and Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, among others, there is absolutely no question that the parish has been short-changed in terms of being rewarded for its contribution.
In addition, it must be a colossal insult that after contributing so much to the national coffers through tourism, the only playing facility of note in St. James is the much overused Jarrett Park, which happens to be a gift to the people of St. James from a private family.
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