BOXHILL will not seek Re - Election

[Sir X]

Boxhill's bombshell - Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss will not seek re-election in November
published: Friday | August 10, 2007


Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer


Left: JFF president Crenston Boxhill Right: Captain Horace Burrell

The much anticipated showdown between the incumbent Crenston Boxhill and the former president seeking re-election, Captain Horace Burrell, for the presidency of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) on November 4, 2007, will not take place.

Boxhill, who has held the post since his defeat of the former army man in November, 2003, yesterday made it clear that he will not be seeking re-election for that post.

In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Boxhill cited the increased polarisation of the country's football and the unlevel playing field, with contender Burrell "compromising the process" by his sponsorship of a number of parish associations as major reasons for him to step aside.

"I have had consultation with my family and other football interests and taking into consideration among other things, the upcoming qualifiers for both Olympics and World Cup tournament, I have decided that in the interest of Jamaica's football not to participate as a candidate for the post of president," Boxhill told The Gleaner.

"In light of the upcoming congress, I have two major concerns, which I think are important to state publicly. Firstly, and unfortunately I do not believe that this will be a level playing field. The sponsorship of the majority of the parish associations by one of the candidates, to a large extent, will compromise theprocess," Boxhill said referring directly to the Captain's Bakery, owned by Captain Burrell, swarming most of the parish associations with sponsorship.

Boxhill added: 'Secondly, I have always been concerned about the deep divisions in the sport. The current administration has faced the most consistent effort of undermining than any previous administration and it does occupy my mind that if it is going to continue, how realistic it will be to build on the momentum, if at every step of the way one has to be looking over one's shoulders."

In every January since assuming the position, the Boxhill administration faced, previously unheard of, calls for a vote of no-confidence by factions loyal to the Captain. That, according to Boxhill, caused football followers to lose all sense of objectivity and support for the sport, which brought so much unity to a nation upon its historic qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France.

Groundwork

Despite the challenges faced, Boxhill opined that the groundwork has been laid for the programme to rebound, especially after the expected windfall from the 1998 qualifications failed to materialise.

"This is a very exciting time for anyone seeking the position of president of the JFF with among other things, the youth programme beginning to evolve and have an impact. This I believe has set the stage for the relaunching of the national football programme," he said.

"This is a legacy I hope will be followed. Even though the success of the senior programme is essential to the success of the overall programme, in order to be sustainable, remain competitive and in a position qualify continuously for major FIFA tournaments, the base must be strong," he added.

In addition to the focus on the base, Boxhill also spoke of the rise of women's football to ne and expressed the hope that that would continue. The national football academy he said, "despite the many obstacles, will open its doors before year end in an ideal location with immense possibilities".

He also spoke about the federation's new policy of assisting parishes with "financing and development at the parish level, so important in the sustainability of the sport" but most importantly, he expressed the view that that plans for the Back to Africa campaign are on track.

"The Back to Africa campaign will step up in momentum. Some high-quality sponsorship yet to be revealed, that will support, especially the senior programme, but we expect greater interest in the youth programme from sponsors, especially at this time as we continue to bask in the glory of the success of one of our youth teams at the recent Pan Am Games," he said.

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[Sir X]

Nominations are now open
published: Friday | August 10, 2007

Nominations for the new Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) executive are now open, with the big day, the voting congress set for November 4 at the Sandals Beach Resort in Negril.

While there have been no nominations put forward so far, according to article 7 of the JFF by-laws all candidates who will be eligible for the positions of president, first, second and third vice-president, treasurer and executive officer, must have their names submitted by three members of three separate parish associations to the JFF general secretary at least 60 days before the congress. Also in accordance with that statute the general secretary will then have 30 days to forward the names of all the candidates to the various parish associations.

Delegates

The delegates voting at the congress will be made up of all affiliates of the JFF plus the members of the outgoing board. A closer look at the list shows each parish association allowed five delegates, with of course the exception of (Kingston and St Andrew, Football Association) KSAFA who will have the usual 10. The other affiliated JFF groups will have two representatives each with life members of the JFF also allowed a vote. The list of delegates must be submitted to the general secretary by Friday, October 19 with changes allowed up to 12 noon on Friday, November 2.

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[Sir X]

good move boxhill smart political move , now bring in dehring.

[Bruce]

Remember This Quote. Learn It, Know It, Love It.

"The Reggae Boyz Supporterz Club
can jump in the sea."

- Horace Burrell

[Bricktop]

"The Reggae Boyz Supporterz Club
can jump in the sea."

- Horace Burrell

So wha wrong wit a nice sea bath? Yuh cyaan swim?

[Bricktop]

Kiss teet. In other words "I'm in way over my head and am gonna get my ass kicked in the election so let me bow out now and continue to harp on the U 20 success and use that as my legacy."

[Hortical]

Boxhill throws in the towel, and lets see if his "backers" put forward another candidate.

[Mosiah]

Well, hopefully we will get the pre-1999 Burrell, not the post-1999 rendition.

And hopefully this will put football first and end the tribalism that did nothing but harm the beautiful game.

[Pepsi]

just want to see Burell layout is manifesto,and see wha'up!.BURELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

[OJ]

I dont like the process by which this came about. We need vision, leadership, tranparency and continuity. I hope we all have the best interest for Jamaican football and not for power.

[Mosiah]

yuhseeit.

Not having an election where "parties" are forced to woo voters with manifestos and perhaps even a debate may hurt the JFF and football. Now Burrell can step back into the position without a plan if he so desires. The electorate and fans cannot hold him accountable for anything because he does not need to say anything.

Football first, that's all I ask.

[Karl]

yuhseeit.

Not having an election where "parties" are forced to woo voters with manifestos and perhaps even a debate may hurt the JFF and football. Now Burrell can step back into the position without a plan if he so desires. The electorate and fans cannot hold him accountable for anything because he does not need to say anything.

Football first, that's all I ask.

Believing that the interested parties will not hold the next president of the JFF accountable is pipe dream.

Some things cannot be turned back...yes, there can be arrested development, but the movement is always FORWARD. As the years go by each succeeding president will be under increasing pressure to increase "rate of progress".

Hey we were told to "go jump in the sea" but as we all saw Burrell it was who was made to 'jump'...and, we are still here. So it shall be 'jumping'/'bumping' for future presidents who deliver poor achievements or are non-achievers.

[Karl]

BOXHILL WALKS!
JFF president will not seek re-electionIan Burnett, Sports Editor

Friday, August 10, 2007

BOXHILL ... the sport needs a renewed commitment that has one thing and one thing only in our minds - the development of our young footballers and the maximisation of their talent

CRENSTON Boxhill, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), will not be seeking re-election when the association's Special General Meeting (Voting Congress) takes place at Sandals Negril Beach Resort on November 4.

Boxhill, 54, created a major upset when he defeated incumbent Captain Horace Burrell 54-49 at the last Voting Congress at the Starfish Resort in Trelawny on November 23, 2003.

The JFF president yesterday pointed to "two major concerns" which he said were crucial to his decision not to seek re-election as head of the country's governing football body.

He said in light of the upcoming Congress, he does not believe it "will be a level playing field", as Captain Burrell's "sponsorship of majority of the parish associations" will compromise the process. He said, too, that based on the "deep divisions" in the sport and the "most consistent effort at undermining" his administration, he was unsure how realistic it would be to build on the momentum the Federation gained recently.

Captain Burrell, through his Captain's Bakery, is the major sponsor of leagues in at least six parish associations - Manchester, St Ann, Clarendon, St Mary, St Thomas and the Western Confed, which comprises Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny - as well as the knockout competitions in a few of these parish associations.

Boxhill's decision not to seek re-election will effectively guarantee the return of the former army man as head of the local governing body at November's Congress. Burrell had long announced that he would be seeking re-election for the post of president of the JFF.

Outside of Captain Burrell and the incumbent, the name of Ambassador A B Stewart Stephenson had also been mentioned for the JFF leadership, though the KSAFA president had never confirmed any interest in the post.

In accordance with article 7 (F) of the JFF by-laws, the names of candidates for the presidency, first, second and third vice-presidents, treasurer and ex-officio director (executive officer), all of whom are eligible for re-election, must be submitted by at least three members from three separate parish associations to the general secretary 60 days before the date of the Congress - on or before Wednesday, September 5, 2007. Nominations for the aforementioned positions shall not be accepted on the floor of the Congress.

The JFF general secretary Burchell Gibson last night confirmed that as at 5:00 pm yesterday, "not more than one half of the associations had made any nominations". He added that there was no rush as the associations had until September 5, to make their nominations.

"The sport needs a renewed commitment that has one thing and one thing only in our minds - the development of our young footballers and the maximisation of their talent," Boxhill said in a statement issued to the Observer.

"I have had consultation with my family and other football interests and taking into consideration, amongst other things, the upcoming qualifiers for both the Olympics and World Cup, and therefore in the interest of Jamaica's football, I will not be seeking re-election for the 2007-2010 term and I express gratitude to all those who played a role in the successes achieved," said Boxhill, a senior certified Island
Traffic Authority inspector. Boxhill, who has served in his profession for nearly 30 years, is presently on secondment from the Ministry of Transport and Works.

In the meantime, Boxhill, though not seeking re-election, said "this is a very exciting time" for anyone seeking the position of president of the JFF.
He said the stage is set for a "relaunch of the football programme", given the groundwork of his administration, and he hoped that this "legacy" will be followed.

Boxhill, who also pointed to the rapid rise of the women's programme, said there were "some high quality sponsorship deals yet to be revealed", which should step up momentum of the 'Back to Africa' Reggae Boyz 2010 World Cup campaign. In addition, he said the National Football Academy would "definitely open its doors" before year end.

He added that his administration had committed and already begun to assist in the financing and development at the parish association level, which ought to be continued, but warned that more attention needs to be made to the issues of infrastructure, coaching techniques and the development of revenue sources independent of sponsorships.

Boxhill rose through the ranks of football, from manager at the schoolboy level to being manager of the national senior team. On the administrative side, he has been president of three parish associations - Manchester, Westmoreland and Clarendon, from whence he launched his successful bid to the presidency of the JFF.

But his near four-year tenure has been dogged by divisiveness in the federation and repeated efforts by factions allied to Captain Burrell to oust him, through efforts of 'no confidence' motions.

Following on the fairly successful nine-year reign of Captain Burrell, where the national senior men's team made a historic qualification to the 1998 France FIFA World Cup Finals, followed by the Under-17s in 1999 and the Under-20s in 2001, plus a Caribbean Cup triumph in 1998, Boxhill's administration always faced a difficult task.

His administration managed no qualification to a FIFA World Cup Finals, but Jamaica managed to win the Caribbean Cup, earned a historic silver medal at the recent Pan American Games and went mighty close to qualifying for two women's World Cup Finals at the senior and Under-20 levels.

[Karl]

Boxhill's best work, as I see it, was his consistent calls for a YOUTH PROGRAMME.

Unfortunately he never made any effort to institute one. Perhaps, the failure to institute such a programme was what could be termed ironic failure to come to grips with what consitutes a NATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAMME.

It appeared to me that it was believed that culling a few youngsters...precious few youngsters...from among our vast talent reserves and having infrequent training sessions mixed with participation in a few tournaments was a National Youth Programme.

It would be amazing if after looking at the name National (emphasis on National) Youth Programme anyone would think of a program that did not at the very least embrace the majority of our youngsters. With a captive pool of youngsters in our schools who could it be that would consider a program that excluded any of our schools, Youth Clubs, JFF Minor Associations, Parishes, Confeds and the various clubs?

The question is; What system could ensure 'the best of our best' would always be given best available support to develop? If a great many of those were not even considered...were excluded, could it be termed a National Programme?

What of 'little Johnny' or 'sweet Jill' in some deep rural setting with great sense of balance, quick reaction time, speed over ground, intelligent and with dormant talent for the game? Who ensures...where in the supposedly National Youth Programme is the addressing of 'little Johnny's' or 'sweet Jill's' development?

Boxhill deserves praise for singing for a National Youth Programme. Will the next JFF president make it a reality?

[Mitty]

You seeit..