Would love to get feedback

[OJ]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/s...chise-proposal

[Lazie]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/s...chise-proposal

Interesting, Stewart has presented a decent argument as to why this approach should be ignored. The franchise idea had me thinking that having teams in certain areas could be beneficial to the team as they could grow their fanbase etc. However, Stewart's point that "Jamaica supports sports and sporting events on a community basis" is a clear indication that restructuring the league is one thing. Changing the mindset of the fans is another task.

[Sir X]

But Lazie football clubs in the old days were community projects,Man U and Liverpool upto the 70 and 80s,were all mainly community supported,it was not until the internet which coincided with the Prem and international broadcast rights where it went international.

He makes another point in that 7 of the 12 are from Kingston and 5 made the playoffs,an indication of where the support for football development is coming from,the implication is why isnt that number evenly distributed whats stopping it ?

One could argue that the other parishes dont have the financial support because they dont have the fan base ,and the fan base is key .Look at it from a demographic point of view,if the numbers in the parishes are small in terms of fans ,the financial support will be weak.

Kingston has a population of over 600k, comapred to Manchester 190 or Hanover 69K .Then we have to look at the economy of these parishes how many of these fans can afford to attend matches on a consistent basis to make it profitable.


Adding to all that is the finances to fund a franchise structure ,the RSPL is already struggling ,why would this be profitable given what I just stated .

He makes a good point but he could have made it better by throwing out the numbers.

[Sir X]

The thing reminds me of the JFF saying they are going to build an academy ,ooohhhhh pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The numbers ask alot of questions ,where will it be, these franchises,can fans $$upport it ,can Big Business $$upport it ,are teams willing to relocate for partnerships with other clubs,will it be a confederation franchise system,etc etc ,its all about the numbers and the demographics of the fan base is key in these parishes and confederations.

Memba di RSPL di economy always Bruk .

[Jangle]

Valid points about fan support, but if there is one main franchise club representing at least 12 to 13 parishes outside of Kingston, then wouldn't the fans be forced to support the club? It all depends on where the club is located within the parish, which logic would dictate, should be in the parish capital. Country people will support their clubs. Reno, Seba, Wadadah, Violet Kickers had decent fan support back in the days. The reality though is can a feasible franchise proposal be put forward to attract investors. Part of that investment would mean that a significant part of the budget would have to go towards advertising to generate interest. The MLS in its early years didn't get the fan support that its now seeing today, but they were committed to the process.

[OJ]

I think you both have good points , and the truth is somewhere in between. My first question is why Franchise and what would a franchise system provide that is not possible today.
A case study can be made of MBU who went from community club (Seba) to regional. I think support is relatively good but I am aware of some initial issues along community lines.

Stewart has some points, the parish federations are totally lacking compared up KASFA and that directly plays into development. So for Hanover to say we don’t have a team is a bit rich as they are not doing anything to develop their clubs. I am reserving my option but I think the real issue is not the lack of franchises but lack of structure. We need to figure a way to enhance a St George in the East and the St Bess and Manchester clubs to fill out the slot . It might be a play in that expands the league and allow these clubs to get a foothold in the league. It is not just the sandals whitehouse that goes down , Barbican and Maverly and Rivoli, August Town goes up and down. So I think it’s a bit more to it

[OJ]

So jangle why can’t I invest in a Cavaliers does it have to be a franchise or does it need to be a proper corporate entity with investor opportunities?

[Jangle]

If a sustainable franchise system was to be implemented, then it wouldn't be feasible to have no more than say 2 teams from KASAFA. It doesn't matter which two.

[Jangle]

A franchise system would also mean reorganizing and restructuring the entire Jamaican football. There's no way "me as an investor", putting a team in say Hanover be subjected to the rules and politics of a parish FA.

[Sir X]

Exactly and if that is the case ,then why not restructure the RSPL ? too many roadblocks the most glaring is the fan base demographic$

Hanover population - 69 K

Westmoreland - 144k K

A confederation franchise system with some mergers going on seems more likely.The politics of this happenig would mean a change of goverance by the JFF.They have to look at their constitution,too many conflicted interest that would make any proposal pure talk.

[Lazie]

A franchise system would also mean reorganizing and restructuring the entire Jamaican football. There's no way "me as an investor", putting a team in say Hanover be subjected to the rules and politics of a parish FA.

....but Jangle, Hanover wouldn't necessarily get a team if it is determined that the market isn't there. There are 7 teams in KASAFA. Going the franchise route could possibly increase the fanbase for the 2 KASAFA teams. I think an analysis would have to be done to determine which towns get a team.

Looking at it from both sides of the argument I can see some pros and cons. It is no different from those who fail to see that we (JA football) needs to move away from school boy football. But that is another argument.

[Jangle]

The emphasis wouldn't necessarily be on placing a team in each parish but more within a particular economic region. Hanover is just down the road from Mobay so maybe Mobay could, like Kingston, host two teams.

[Sir X]

Lazie ,Jamaica will never move away from schoolboy football,esp as a developmental tool,european acadamies or 1st world academies not only develop football skills but educational skills,I see no system in Jamaica that can offer both except the school boy football system.

Clubs will have to work within that structure,as for the latter I agree franchises will have to do due diligence on location,location,location,but again the JFF constitution with its nepotistic traits will need to be restructured.

[Lazie]

The emphasis wouldn't necessarily be on placing a team in each parish but more within a particular economic region. Hanover is just down the road from Mobay so maybe Mobay could, like Kingston, host two teams.

Fully agree with you on that point.

[Lazie]

Lazie ,Jamaica will never move away from schoolboy football,esp as a developmental tool,european acadamies or 1st world academies not only develop football skills but educational skills,I see no system in Jamaica that can offer both except the school boy football system.

Clubs will have to work within that structure,as for the latter I agree franchises will have to do due diligence on location,location,location,but again the JFF constitution with its nepotistic traits will need to be restructured.

Time and again when we argue about the purpose of schoolboy football, I have always said that the parish associations should focus on youth development .... not the high schools. Strange enough, Stewart said something in the article that me go uummmm .....

"The truth is that KSAFA has undertaken more development programmes than any other parish association, and maybe by all other associations put together," he said.

"Development across the island requires more work from the persons making the franchise call, which is purely a political response to a glaring need," Stewart said