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Schoolboy football change
Ease placed on Manning Cup schedule, but not so for daCosta Cup
BY IAN BURNETT Sport editor burnetti@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
THE Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), following last year's intense agitation by numerous coaches and school administrators, has begun to remedy the burdensome schedule of the ultra popular senior boys' football competitions.
But while the corrective measures introduced at the start of the season have indeed made the urban area Manning Cup competition more student/athlete friendly -- both physically and academically -- very little has been done to similarly redesign the rural area daCosta Cup competition.
Action from last Saturday’s Walker Cup Knockout competition between Calabar High and Jamaica College. (Photo: Marlon Reid)
Rusea’s High striker Brian Brown (centre) skips over a tackle from St James High's Oakley Jackson in their ISSA/Gatorade/Digicel Ben Francis KO quarter-final game at Jarrett Park last Saturday. Rusea's High won 3-0 and advanced to face defending champions STETHS at the same venue Wednesday. (Photo: Paul Reid)
Action from last Saturday’s Walker Cup Knockout competition between Calabar High and Jamaica College. (Photo: Marlon Reid) 1/2
ISSA, the body comprised of principals responsible for organising and executing inter-secondary school sports, came in for severe criticisms last year after the already taxing schedule became even more onerous following the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole, which lashed the island in late September, creating a number of postponements and the obligatory rescheduling of games.
The end result was that one school, Calabar High, was rostered to play six games in 12 days, while another, Excelsior High, was asked to play five games in 10 days.
At the time, the concerned stakeholders feared the heavy burden on the players would compromise their academic and sporting pursuits.
In redesigning the fixtures for this year's Manning Cup, ISSA has introduced an additional group, thus increasing the number to seven, while reducing the number of teams (schools) to a maximum of six in each group. ISSA also scheduled a number of games on the opening day of the tournament.
ISSA president Dr Walton Small, who is also the principal of Wolmer's Boys' School, was boastful when he spoke to the Observer at the launch of the 2011 season.
"It is far more student friendly," beamed Dr Small. "This is a decision by the principals... we have three meetings per year and the last meeting we had, the issue was brought up and we had a very long discussion... there were several suggestions that were given and this is the one that we have accepted."
Dr Small further stated that "all the principals are in sync with this change" and have "bought into this". He acknowledged that ISSA had recognised the "complaints coming from coaches, students and the public about the frequency of matches", magnified by a Sunday Observer exposé last year, "and we accepted that it was so. We recognised that since this thing is going to happen every year, we better put things in place to ensure that if it happens it is going to be minimal in terms of frequency for the young men..."
Like the ISSA boss, chairman of its Competitions Committee George Forbes was equally upbeat about the prospects for the Manning Cup going forward, but he had reservations about the success of the daCosta Cup this year. He was also very candid about the decision-making process regarding the fixtures over the years.
"Most definitely, this schedule is more student/athlete friendly," he said. "You see, we were never ever comfortable, it was just a matter of expediency why we had to do it (compress games) because we had to finish the competition within a certain time, so we knew what we were doing was not the most suitable thing to do, it wasn't the correct thing to do, but what could we do, carry the competition to January?
"We couldn't do that, so we knew we had make some unpopular decisions, not the best decisions, but the only decision we could have made at the time... We have looked at it and we have realised to have it this way, it is more suitable, nobody can complain now because there is more time between games and the students will obviously get more time to rest," Forbes explained.
Both the Manning and daCosta Cup competitions are now enjoying a break for the knock-out tournaments, having completed the preliminary phase, which kicked off on September 10.
However, Leebert Halliman, coach of Excelsior High last year and one of the strident protesters of the taxing schedule then, was overjoyed and thankful for the corrective measures put in place this season.
"Two games per week is wonderful... players get time to recover and to go to classes. Basically, that is what school is all about, it is for education, not a club," he said with an air of satisfaction.
"Personally, I want to commend ISSA on the move. Now you have a lot of time to replay games. The next step is to have a two-tiered system in the Manning Cup because some of these teams are out of their league. However, the call is not mine, it is ISSA's. We need to keep talking about it and show them (principals) because these huge defeats can be demoralising to these players, and over time students might not want to attend these schools because of the stigma being attached to them at present," added the man who now coaches Hydel.
In this year's Manning Cup, games are staggered three to five days apart. In Groups A, C and E, teams would play on Saturdays, Tuesdays, Fridays then Mondays. While in Groups B, D, F and G, the games are scheduled for Mondays, Saturdays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Unfortunately, coaches in the daCosta Cup competition are not as complimentary to ISSA as Halliman. In fact, they are seething.
"Well, I must say that this is the first time that Glenmuir has faced this kind of situation and it has made things a little bit difficult for us, simply because there is no time between games for you to make any adjustments that you may want, and there is injury and you need time for full recovery," explained Patrick 'Jacky' Walters, coach of the former champions and veteran national youth coach.
He added: "And in a learning environment where the priority is school and academics, it is very difficult. I understand ISSA's position where the number of schools is involved, but they have to find a way to solve this problem.
"We played about five games in about nine days, but you have a good little break in-between and then you play another five matches in another nine days, and that break was as a result of some rained-out games. Obviously it must affect us," he said.
"Fortunately for us, our boys live on dorm at the school's premises, which makes it a little bit easier on them in terms of travelling to and from school.
"It has definitely got worse for us because previously we used to play on a Saturday and on a Wednesday, straightforward, but now we are playing five games in nine days, so it is getting worse for us. And with the advent of more schools getting involved and even more to be included, what is going to happen then? It can't be good, especially from an academic point of view," noted Walters.
Alrick Clarke, who coached Calabar last year, but is now guiding Munro College, has complained that his boys are playing too many games per week and it is affecting them.
"There are too many matches per week," he said. "After the competition started we have had little or no time to train and recover," he added.
"From where I stand it is difficult, because the players travel a lot in the daCosta Cup competition and by the time they get back to school after playing away it is late and it will definitely affect some of the boys. It will, because the system here at Munro is different from other schools. I would prefer two matches at most for a week where we can get a rest day and training after."
In an earlier interview with the Observer, Forbes had hinted that if progress was not made in the daCosta Cup this season, it would be revamped much like what has happened in this year's Manning Cup competition.
"In one stroke we have facilitated everybody. We would want to look at the daCosta Cup itself because we have groups of seven and ideally we would not want more than six teams to a group, so we will look and see what happens this year to see if there is anything untoward, because we would have to revamp the daCosta Cup and probably augment the number of teams to have six teams maximum to a group, so that the boys can have enough rest between matches," he said then.
Like Halliman, Walters would like to see ISSA employ a two-tiered system, as some schools are clearly inferior and the huge margins of defeat, they believe, could compromise the integrity of the competitions.
"My recommendation is to go to Division One and Division Two and have the better schools playing among themselves," Walters suggested.
But according to Dr Small, the two-tiered system is unlikely to be realised any time soon, as the principals are vehemently opposed to it.
"For the two-tiered system it is going to take some serious convincing of these principals," Dr Small noted. "We had a discussion and I'm telling you, it was fiery, very, very fiery, and I'm telling you the opinion is that we must allow the young men to play (regardless). If you are going to play against a strong team this is how you build your character and also, very importantly, when some of the lesser known teams play with the more traditional teams -- let's say, for example, an Anchovy High School playing against Cornwall College -- I can tell you, because I have been in that position before, that the monies that you make from those matches significantly help your programme.
"Can you imagine Anchovy not having a chance to play against Cornwall College to make some money, what the pressure will be on the school?
"It is a delicate balancing act, so that's how it is going to be for a little while," concluded Dr Small.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1btq8l8Pq
Schoolboy football change
Ease placed on Manning Cup schedule, but not so for daCosta Cup
BY IAN BURNETT Sport editor burnetti@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
THE Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), following last year's intense agitation by numerous coaches and school administrators, has begun to remedy the burdensome schedule of the ultra popular senior boys' football competitions.
But while the corrective measures introduced at the start of the season have indeed made the urban area Manning Cup competition more student/athlete friendly -- both physically and academically -- very little has been done to similarly redesign the rural area daCosta Cup competition.
Action from last Saturday’s Walker Cup Knockout competition between Calabar High and Jamaica College. (Photo: Marlon Reid)
Rusea’s High striker Brian Brown (centre) skips over a tackle from St James High's Oakley Jackson in their ISSA/Gatorade/Digicel Ben Francis KO quarter-final game at Jarrett Park last Saturday. Rusea's High won 3-0 and advanced to face defending champions STETHS at the same venue Wednesday. (Photo: Paul Reid)
Action from last Saturday’s Walker Cup Knockout competition between Calabar High and Jamaica College. (Photo: Marlon Reid) 1/2
ISSA, the body comprised of principals responsible for organising and executing inter-secondary school sports, came in for severe criticisms last year after the already taxing schedule became even more onerous following the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole, which lashed the island in late September, creating a number of postponements and the obligatory rescheduling of games.
The end result was that one school, Calabar High, was rostered to play six games in 12 days, while another, Excelsior High, was asked to play five games in 10 days.
At the time, the concerned stakeholders feared the heavy burden on the players would compromise their academic and sporting pursuits.
In redesigning the fixtures for this year's Manning Cup, ISSA has introduced an additional group, thus increasing the number to seven, while reducing the number of teams (schools) to a maximum of six in each group. ISSA also scheduled a number of games on the opening day of the tournament.
ISSA president Dr Walton Small, who is also the principal of Wolmer's Boys' School, was boastful when he spoke to the Observer at the launch of the 2011 season.
"It is far more student friendly," beamed Dr Small. "This is a decision by the principals... we have three meetings per year and the last meeting we had, the issue was brought up and we had a very long discussion... there were several suggestions that were given and this is the one that we have accepted."
Dr Small further stated that "all the principals are in sync with this change" and have "bought into this". He acknowledged that ISSA had recognised the "complaints coming from coaches, students and the public about the frequency of matches", magnified by a Sunday Observer exposé last year, "and we accepted that it was so. We recognised that since this thing is going to happen every year, we better put things in place to ensure that if it happens it is going to be minimal in terms of frequency for the young men..."
Like the ISSA boss, chairman of its Competitions Committee George Forbes was equally upbeat about the prospects for the Manning Cup going forward, but he had reservations about the success of the daCosta Cup this year. He was also very candid about the decision-making process regarding the fixtures over the years.
"Most definitely, this schedule is more student/athlete friendly," he said. "You see, we were never ever comfortable, it was just a matter of expediency why we had to do it (compress games) because we had to finish the competition within a certain time, so we knew what we were doing was not the most suitable thing to do, it wasn't the correct thing to do, but what could we do, carry the competition to January?
"We couldn't do that, so we knew we had make some unpopular decisions, not the best decisions, but the only decision we could have made at the time... We have looked at it and we have realised to have it this way, it is more suitable, nobody can complain now because there is more time between games and the students will obviously get more time to rest," Forbes explained.
Both the Manning and daCosta Cup competitions are now enjoying a break for the knock-out tournaments, having completed the preliminary phase, which kicked off on September 10.
However, Leebert Halliman, coach of Excelsior High last year and one of the strident protesters of the taxing schedule then, was overjoyed and thankful for the corrective measures put in place this season.
"Two games per week is wonderful... players get time to recover and to go to classes. Basically, that is what school is all about, it is for education, not a club," he said with an air of satisfaction.
"Personally, I want to commend ISSA on the move. Now you have a lot of time to replay games. The next step is to have a two-tiered system in the Manning Cup because some of these teams are out of their league. However, the call is not mine, it is ISSA's. We need to keep talking about it and show them (principals) because these huge defeats can be demoralising to these players, and over time students might not want to attend these schools because of the stigma being attached to them at present," added the man who now coaches Hydel.
In this year's Manning Cup, games are staggered three to five days apart. In Groups A, C and E, teams would play on Saturdays, Tuesdays, Fridays then Mondays. While in Groups B, D, F and G, the games are scheduled for Mondays, Saturdays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Unfortunately, coaches in the daCosta Cup competition are not as complimentary to ISSA as Halliman. In fact, they are seething.
"Well, I must say that this is the first time that Glenmuir has faced this kind of situation and it has made things a little bit difficult for us, simply because there is no time between games for you to make any adjustments that you may want, and there is injury and you need time for full recovery," explained Patrick 'Jacky' Walters, coach of the former champions and veteran national youth coach.
He added: "And in a learning environment where the priority is school and academics, it is very difficult. I understand ISSA's position where the number of schools is involved, but they have to find a way to solve this problem.
"We played about five games in about nine days, but you have a good little break in-between and then you play another five matches in another nine days, and that break was as a result of some rained-out games. Obviously it must affect us," he said.
"Fortunately for us, our boys live on dorm at the school's premises, which makes it a little bit easier on them in terms of travelling to and from school.
"It has definitely got worse for us because previously we used to play on a Saturday and on a Wednesday, straightforward, but now we are playing five games in nine days, so it is getting worse for us. And with the advent of more schools getting involved and even more to be included, what is going to happen then? It can't be good, especially from an academic point of view," noted Walters.
Alrick Clarke, who coached Calabar last year, but is now guiding Munro College, has complained that his boys are playing too many games per week and it is affecting them.
"There are too many matches per week," he said. "After the competition started we have had little or no time to train and recover," he added.
"From where I stand it is difficult, because the players travel a lot in the daCosta Cup competition and by the time they get back to school after playing away it is late and it will definitely affect some of the boys. It will, because the system here at Munro is different from other schools. I would prefer two matches at most for a week where we can get a rest day and training after."
In an earlier interview with the Observer, Forbes had hinted that if progress was not made in the daCosta Cup this season, it would be revamped much like what has happened in this year's Manning Cup competition.
"In one stroke we have facilitated everybody. We would want to look at the daCosta Cup itself because we have groups of seven and ideally we would not want more than six teams to a group, so we will look and see what happens this year to see if there is anything untoward, because we would have to revamp the daCosta Cup and probably augment the number of teams to have six teams maximum to a group, so that the boys can have enough rest between matches," he said then.
Like Halliman, Walters would like to see ISSA employ a two-tiered system, as some schools are clearly inferior and the huge margins of defeat, they believe, could compromise the integrity of the competitions.
"My recommendation is to go to Division One and Division Two and have the better schools playing among themselves," Walters suggested.
But according to Dr Small, the two-tiered system is unlikely to be realised any time soon, as the principals are vehemently opposed to it.
"For the two-tiered system it is going to take some serious convincing of these principals," Dr Small noted. "We had a discussion and I'm telling you, it was fiery, very, very fiery, and I'm telling you the opinion is that we must allow the young men to play (regardless). If you are going to play against a strong team this is how you build your character and also, very importantly, when some of the lesser known teams play with the more traditional teams -- let's say, for example, an Anchovy High School playing against Cornwall College -- I can tell you, because I have been in that position before, that the monies that you make from those matches significantly help your programme.
"Can you imagine Anchovy not having a chance to play against Cornwall College to make some money, what the pressure will be on the school?
"It is a delicate balancing act, so that's how it is going to be for a little while," concluded Dr Small.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1btq8l8Pq