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Football no longer unites at violence-torn Arnett Gardens
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, May 13, 2007
MANY will recall that during the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, every man's neighbour was his friend, regardless of his social or political persuasion. Love of the game and the dream of making it to France united the nation as nothing before it had.
But nine years later - and two weeks after the end of an ordinary season - former National Premier League (NPL) champions Arnett Gardens have discovered that football no longer seems to unite people. The sport has become the latest victim of violence which has been raging in the community for the past few months.
"(Arnett Gardens) is a club that's in the heart of a volatile community and whatever surrounds the community. takes a toll." club president Patrick Roberts told the Sunday Observer, during a candid interview last Thursday on the team's failure to finish in the top half of the table.
Arnett have in the past always been a force to reckon with, winning NPL titles in 2000-2001, and 2001-2002 and being runners-up in 2003. However, they fell to seventh place in 2005-06 and a spot lower when the season ended last April.
While admitting that the community is one with a reputation for violence, Roberts said things were different this time around.
"There has always been (violence), but this time it's a longer period of ongoing violence and it's the worst ever since my involvement in Arnett Gardens, and I've been president since November 2000."
"It has affected the players on a whole; this season is one of the worst ever in Arnett Gardens because for one entire month the team had no practice. They're not turning up to practice, or when practice is called you have five or six players turning up, and that doesn't make a quorum," Roberts added.
Team members come from as far away as Montego Bay, Portland, and Spanish Town, with at least five or six from Arnett Gardens itself.
Club administrator Gregory Hall also spoke with the Sunday Observer and echoed Roberts' views.
"When these things happen, players who are living outside the community are really afraid to come in," said Hall.
"We even have players from inside the community who stay at the players' residence for fear of staying at home."
That players' residence is in an 'upscale community' which Roberts declined to name.
"We have a team bus that takes them to training, so sometimes the players outside are the only ones who turn up for training because the team bus picks them up. Sometimes players who live inside the community are afraid to venture because you have to cross a couple of borders to reach to the Complex," Roberts said.
He said the team declined even further after members witnessed the aftermath of the March 28 triple murder of Dwayne 'Susu' Allen and two other persons in the vicinity of the May Pen Cemetery and Denham Town Police Station.
The players were travelling on that day for an away game against Tivoli Gardens, and Roberts said the toll the sight had taken on the players was a big factor in the slump the team suffered in the ensuing weeks.
"The team bus stopped exactly in full view of the three persons with their lifeless bodies in the car... players started to vomit, some asked to go home, some were asking if they could get the match rescheduled... they were so traumatised we were lucky we ended the season at eighth," he said.
The Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey-coached side lost the game against Tivoli, 0-2 that Wednesday. Of the next eight matches leading to the end of the season, they won only once.
In fact, Arnett Gardens won only two of 13 matches played in the final round of the competition, earning eight points from a possible 39.
"That day on Spanish Town Road, seeing it, looking at it, it took away the whole football vibes from them," Roberts continued.
Hall concurred: "We have players who have not played a game since that incident."
Roberts said the third-round suspension of players Kevin 'Pele' Wilson and Marcelino Blackburn was a by-product of the violence. Both players were suspended for disciplinary reasons for the remainder of the season on March 19.
"I think the ongoing crisis caused some of them to be absent from training and those players still wanted to get selection and the way to go about it is not the way that Kevin and Blackburn did by verbally abusing the coach," he said.
"At times we just have to let players know that regardless of status, discipline is the hallmark of any organisation and once you step out of line you have to keep your stardom to yourself."
Bailey, who said he had a two-year plan when he joined the club at the beginning of last season, declined to speak to the Sunday Observer, but Roberts said he would understand if the latter, who led Tivoli to the NPL title in 1999, decided not to return.
"I can't speak for him, but I know at times he feels let down, so it's for him to see if he wants to do another season with the team, or if it's a situation that he has to move on, but it's up to him.
"I'm sure the violence has impacted on him, as well, in terms of training and not being able to get the full attention of the team for training most days," Hall added.
With a club that costs between $18-20 million per year to run, and funding coming from big-name sponsors like Supreme Ventures, Cable & Wireless, TankWeld, Wata and Lucozade, Roberts said the sponsors had been understanding about the team's average finish over the past two seasons..
"The sponsors are very understanding that this is out of the control of the players," Roberts said.
He expressed hope things will improve next season and said failing that, the club was looking at securing a partnership with Constant Spring FC to use their field as a training ground. The club is also exploring the idea of having individual counselling sessions to help players deal with the crises.
"If we can get this violence thing under control, then the club can come back to the days of glory. --if those persons can iron out their differences in the community without the use of guns, then the sky is the limit for Arnett Gardens Football Club," Roberts concluded.
BY DANIA BOGLE Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, May 13, 2007
MANY will recall that during the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, every man's neighbour was his friend, regardless of his social or political persuasion. Love of the game and the dream of making it to France united the nation as nothing before it had.
But nine years later - and two weeks after the end of an ordinary season - former National Premier League (NPL) champions Arnett Gardens have discovered that football no longer seems to unite people. The sport has become the latest victim of violence which has been raging in the community for the past few months.
"(Arnett Gardens) is a club that's in the heart of a volatile community and whatever surrounds the community. takes a toll." club president Patrick Roberts told the Sunday Observer, during a candid interview last Thursday on the team's failure to finish in the top half of the table.
Arnett have in the past always been a force to reckon with, winning NPL titles in 2000-2001, and 2001-2002 and being runners-up in 2003. However, they fell to seventh place in 2005-06 and a spot lower when the season ended last April.
While admitting that the community is one with a reputation for violence, Roberts said things were different this time around.
"There has always been (violence), but this time it's a longer period of ongoing violence and it's the worst ever since my involvement in Arnett Gardens, and I've been president since November 2000."
"It has affected the players on a whole; this season is one of the worst ever in Arnett Gardens because for one entire month the team had no practice. They're not turning up to practice, or when practice is called you have five or six players turning up, and that doesn't make a quorum," Roberts added.
Team members come from as far away as Montego Bay, Portland, and Spanish Town, with at least five or six from Arnett Gardens itself.
Club administrator Gregory Hall also spoke with the Sunday Observer and echoed Roberts' views.
"When these things happen, players who are living outside the community are really afraid to come in," said Hall.
"We even have players from inside the community who stay at the players' residence for fear of staying at home."
That players' residence is in an 'upscale community' which Roberts declined to name.
"We have a team bus that takes them to training, so sometimes the players outside are the only ones who turn up for training because the team bus picks them up. Sometimes players who live inside the community are afraid to venture because you have to cross a couple of borders to reach to the Complex," Roberts said.
He said the team declined even further after members witnessed the aftermath of the March 28 triple murder of Dwayne 'Susu' Allen and two other persons in the vicinity of the May Pen Cemetery and Denham Town Police Station.
The players were travelling on that day for an away game against Tivoli Gardens, and Roberts said the toll the sight had taken on the players was a big factor in the slump the team suffered in the ensuing weeks.
"The team bus stopped exactly in full view of the three persons with their lifeless bodies in the car... players started to vomit, some asked to go home, some were asking if they could get the match rescheduled... they were so traumatised we were lucky we ended the season at eighth," he said.
The Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey-coached side lost the game against Tivoli, 0-2 that Wednesday. Of the next eight matches leading to the end of the season, they won only once.
In fact, Arnett Gardens won only two of 13 matches played in the final round of the competition, earning eight points from a possible 39.
"That day on Spanish Town Road, seeing it, looking at it, it took away the whole football vibes from them," Roberts continued.
Hall concurred: "We have players who have not played a game since that incident."
Roberts said the third-round suspension of players Kevin 'Pele' Wilson and Marcelino Blackburn was a by-product of the violence. Both players were suspended for disciplinary reasons for the remainder of the season on March 19.
"I think the ongoing crisis caused some of them to be absent from training and those players still wanted to get selection and the way to go about it is not the way that Kevin and Blackburn did by verbally abusing the coach," he said.
"At times we just have to let players know that regardless of status, discipline is the hallmark of any organisation and once you step out of line you have to keep your stardom to yourself."
Bailey, who said he had a two-year plan when he joined the club at the beginning of last season, declined to speak to the Sunday Observer, but Roberts said he would understand if the latter, who led Tivoli to the NPL title in 1999, decided not to return.
"I can't speak for him, but I know at times he feels let down, so it's for him to see if he wants to do another season with the team, or if it's a situation that he has to move on, but it's up to him.
"I'm sure the violence has impacted on him, as well, in terms of training and not being able to get the full attention of the team for training most days," Hall added.
With a club that costs between $18-20 million per year to run, and funding coming from big-name sponsors like Supreme Ventures, Cable & Wireless, TankWeld, Wata and Lucozade, Roberts said the sponsors had been understanding about the team's average finish over the past two seasons..
"The sponsors are very understanding that this is out of the control of the players," Roberts said.
He expressed hope things will improve next season and said failing that, the club was looking at securing a partnership with Constant Spring FC to use their field as a training ground. The club is also exploring the idea of having individual counselling sessions to help players deal with the crises.
"If we can get this violence thing under control, then the club can come back to the days of glory. --if those persons can iron out their differences in the community without the use of guns, then the sky is the limit for Arnett Gardens Football Club," Roberts concluded.
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