Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

[Sickko]

<DIV class=HTMLTitle><SPAN id=Ar0550000 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen </SPAN></DIV><BR style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-VARIANT: normal"><BR style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-VARIANT: normal"><BR style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 5px; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-VARIANT: normal"><DIV class=HTMLContent style="OVERFLOW: auto"><SPAN id=Ar0550001 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Today the Western Confederation will host a double header at the Frome sports complex to expose talents from the region to the national technical director, Bora Milutinovic. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Bora has been travelling across the island on similar scouting trips as he gets his first team together for an Under-23 tournament in Hong Kong next month. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">But the game will also serve a secondary purpose — to help raise funds to assist one of the best strikers we have seen in the island, Caple ‘Corntail’ Donaldson. </SPAN><SPAN id=Ar0550002 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The former Rusea’s, Reno, Wadadah and Jamaica player has fallen on very lean times. He has been suffering from a mental illness since his return to the island about four years ago and has been living on the streets for the last two years or so. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Those who have seen him say it is nothing short of scandalous that one who did so much for the game here should be living in such squalor. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">It is ironic that the game that could be the springboard to fame and fortune for some is being used to solicit funds to help one who had helped to pave the way for these same players to be considered for the national team. </SPAN><SPAN id=Ar0550003 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Jamaica is still light years from real professional football, but it is high time that some sort of pension or welfare scheme be put in place to help our sports heroes who have fallen by the wayside. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Most may have not ended up like ‘Corntail’ but two others who suffered mental illness come readily to mind. They are the great cricket all-rounder Richard Austin, and footballer Peter ‘Dove’ Marston. Meanwhile, many are finding it hard to survive on a day-to-day basis after spending a lifetime playing sports. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Today, the opportunity for any talented youngster to make millions through his or her sports ability is far greater than it was say 20 years ago. Just ask Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner, Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell and the </SPAN><SPAN id=Ar0550004 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">likes of Christopher Gayle. </SPAN><SPAN id=Ar0550005 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">But it only takes a single </SPAN><SPAN id=Ar0550006 style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">injury to transform success into misfortune. That is why an education to back up the sports talent is so critical. </SPAN>
<SPAN style="TEXT-JUSTIFY: newspaper; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The Jamaica Football Federation took a small but very important step in the ri

[Karl]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Pointing in the right direction! (Clap)

Good! (Clap)(Clap)(Clap)

[Tilla]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Today the Western Confederation will host a double header at the Frome sports complex to expose talents from the region to the national technical director, Bora Milutinovic.

Sickko, I do not have time to read the full article as I have to run (hit the road for work). But please accept my congrats for being the first Jamaican journalist to break out of the mold and call the new TD "Bora Milutinovic". Well done sar! (tup)(tup)

[Farmah]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Sickko I want to say Big Up for that article boss, as it will certainly help to raise awareness to the plight of Corntail and others like himself. I'm somewhat surprised that with influencial people like Kingsley, Mr Bim, Tomlinson, Boysie &amp;Boyous who knws the player so very well, that he could be allowed to fall into this state.

I will make contact with some of Corntail's relatives (Hewitts) in South Florida and see what is being done about the situation.

I don't know the situation which precipitated this but nevertheless, Corntail deserves better.

Sickko once again nuff respect for bringing the news to the public. Now it's up the the rest of us to pick up the baton and rescue the youth.

[Sickko]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Respect boss, let me know of anything and I will make the connection wioth the WFA and Western Confed who are the ones raising the money today.



I was very relieved to hear that his illness was not caused by drug use/abuse but might be congenital....

[Gamma]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

excellent suggestion! it seems to me however that the administration must have all its ducks in a row to get this done. if players sometimes take a while to get match fees (for whatever reason) i would be somewhat concerned over whether insurance premiums were being paid on time and the regularity with which payments are made to any kind of financial commitment . . . .

[Scaly Spurs]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Big Up Sicko ! Respect fi de article

I asked Courtney a few yrs ago about a pension fund for NPL players and he laughed at me not in a scornful way but he was just showing me how far behind we are and that was something I know he would loved to have been a part of.

[Hortical]

RE: Wanted: A pension/welfare scheme for sportsmen

Well written article.

There are a lot folks among us who have undiagnosed mental illness problems. Often times we look at dem and categorize them as mad people, when in essense they are suffering from a disease.