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Academy to be completed in 6 months
Academy funding in place - Gibson
published: Wednesday | April 11, 2007
Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
CONSTRUCTION ON Jamaica's National Football Academy could resume as early as this week, according to general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Burchell Gibson.
The academy, which is being funded by the world's governing body for football, FIFA, was to have had the first phase completed last month but was held up by a delay in the release of the funds from that body. Construction on the academy, which is sited in the hills of Potsdam in St. Elizabeth, had actually begun in late September but had to be put on hold in November.
"All the funding is in place," Gibson told The Gleaner last week.
"The contractor, Lovel Smith Construction, has received 10 per cent of his initial cost from FIFA and they are awaiting the bills for the other costs so that he could receive the remaining monies, and he has advised that construction will resume immediately after the holidays," Gibson said.
Approval for the US$400,000 grant was given from as early as March 2006, but the project kept getting delayed despite the praise and promises of FIFA development officer, Harold Taylor, who said he was impressed with what he saw and that the funds would be released in short order.
Ground was originally broken in Portmore in 2003 for construction of the Academy but, upon taking over the JFF, the Crenston Boxhill-led administration opted for the more rural Potsolam site.
Great relief
For chairman of the academy construction committee, Carvel Stewart, news that construction can now resume is a big relief.
"It is a great relief. I hope we can now move forward in a continuous manner in order for us to complete it in another six months," said Stewart, the man behind the country's most stable football club, Harbour View, and one viewed by many as the model for semi-professionalism.
Phase one of the academy, which is situated just opposite Munro College, will include the construction of administrative suites, dormitories, instructional/lecture areas and a welfare facility. At the end of that period, the facilities should be able to house 48 people.
The total cost of acquiring the land, which had unfinished buildings, and to construct phase one of the academy is US$734,000 ($J49,178,000), US$334,000 more than the US$400,000 covered by the Goal project fund.
"In terms of covering the total cost of phase one, we were having a shortfall of approximately US$100,000 but we sought the permission and got approval from the FIFA to use US$100,000 from our 2007 allotment of US$250,000 through the Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) to make up for that," said Gibson.
"In fact, the total cost of phase one of the construction is US$734,000. From the Goal project we received US$400,000 and we used US$273,0000 from the FAP for the years 2006 and 2007. The additional US$61,000 came from our coffers," explained Gibson, who only two weeks ago attended a FIFA FAP Seminar.
With the funds now released, the JFF can now apply for a second Goal project which, according to Gibson, would cover phase two of the project. Phase two involves the establishment of at least four football fields and changing facilities.
published: Wednesday | April 11, 2007
Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
CONSTRUCTION ON Jamaica's National Football Academy could resume as early as this week, according to general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Burchell Gibson.
The academy, which is being funded by the world's governing body for football, FIFA, was to have had the first phase completed last month but was held up by a delay in the release of the funds from that body. Construction on the academy, which is sited in the hills of Potsdam in St. Elizabeth, had actually begun in late September but had to be put on hold in November.
"All the funding is in place," Gibson told The Gleaner last week.
"The contractor, Lovel Smith Construction, has received 10 per cent of his initial cost from FIFA and they are awaiting the bills for the other costs so that he could receive the remaining monies, and he has advised that construction will resume immediately after the holidays," Gibson said.
Approval for the US$400,000 grant was given from as early as March 2006, but the project kept getting delayed despite the praise and promises of FIFA development officer, Harold Taylor, who said he was impressed with what he saw and that the funds would be released in short order.
Ground was originally broken in Portmore in 2003 for construction of the Academy but, upon taking over the JFF, the Crenston Boxhill-led administration opted for the more rural Potsolam site.
Great relief
For chairman of the academy construction committee, Carvel Stewart, news that construction can now resume is a big relief.
"It is a great relief. I hope we can now move forward in a continuous manner in order for us to complete it in another six months," said Stewart, the man behind the country's most stable football club, Harbour View, and one viewed by many as the model for semi-professionalism.
Phase one of the academy, which is situated just opposite Munro College, will include the construction of administrative suites, dormitories, instructional/lecture areas and a welfare facility. At the end of that period, the facilities should be able to house 48 people.
The total cost of acquiring the land, which had unfinished buildings, and to construct phase one of the academy is US$734,000 ($J49,178,000), US$334,000 more than the US$400,000 covered by the Goal project fund.
"In terms of covering the total cost of phase one, we were having a shortfall of approximately US$100,000 but we sought the permission and got approval from the FIFA to use US$100,000 from our 2007 allotment of US$250,000 through the Financial Assistance Programme (FAP) to make up for that," said Gibson.
"In fact, the total cost of phase one of the construction is US$734,000. From the Goal project we received US$400,000 and we used US$273,0000 from the FAP for the years 2006 and 2007. The additional US$61,000 came from our coffers," explained Gibson, who only two weeks ago attended a FIFA FAP Seminar.
With the funds now released, the JFF can now apply for a second Goal project which, according to Gibson, would cover phase two of the project. Phase two involves the establishment of at least four football fields and changing facilities.
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