HARBOUR VIEW Football Club has enjoyed 30 years of relative success, winning approximately 30 major titles. General Manager Clyde Jureidini has been one of the integral persons behind the east Kingston club's success story.
Jureidini, along with former national player Linval McKenzie, were among the first persons to manage a local professional football club outfit.
A community member since birth, Jureidini played Colts football at Excelsior High School before going on to captain a winning Under-16 Harbour View team in 1972.
He afterwards coached Harbour View teams in 1993 before becoming general manager following the tragic death of McKenzie.
Since then Harbour View have been the benchmark in professionalism locally, erecting the first club-owned stadium in the Caribbean. This year, the club marked its 30th anniversary.
Question: How did you get involved in football?
C.J.: Well, I got involved in sports through my father, who used to organise cricket games that my brother and I used to attend with him. While my first love was athletics I used to follow my older brothers to Aqua Park where the older boys in Harbour View would play football.
Question: What has it been like managing a football club?
C.J.: It has been a very good experience. There have been high times and there have been low times but the job is really a labour of love because I have had to have two jobs and it's a difficult balance but I take pride in affording young players the opportunities that we, the older generation, never had.
Question: What do you think needs to be done to facilitate the improvement of local football?
C.J.: Football in Jamaica needs the sponsorship of businesses and not just monetary sponsorship. These institutions need to give of their business know-how and manpower so that cultures that prevails within the football can begin to change.
Question: What is the secret to Harbour View's success?
C.J.: The secret to Harbour View's success lies in the love that the community has for the game and the passing down of that love and that knowledge of the game from generation to generation.
Question: How have you contributed to the success that Harbour View has achieved?
C.J.: Success at Harbour View cannot be chalked up to the efforts of any one person, it is a group effort here. Some of the people that have been integral along the way however are coach Golding, Terrence Slater and people like Ruddy Reid.
Question: How has Harbour View managed to consistently create players of high calibre?
C.J.: The development of players is what Harbour View is all about. We ensure we invest in the youth and try to develop not only the player but the person and that goes a long way.
Question: Doesn't the job of being manager of a football club of this nature impact upon your family life?
C.J.: Yes it does but my family has been very supportive of what I do and they are very supportive of the Harbour View football team. As a matter of fact, you will find my wife of 25 years, Judith, at every game, and that also goes for my children and my father.
Question: Have you regretted giving so much of your time and effort to the development of football?
C.J.: I have no regrets about that but I do wish that it was more financially rewarding because it has meant that I have had to concentrate on my graphic arts designing business and making sure that it gives me that kind of reward and of course there are things that I would like to do with my time that I am not able to. For instance, one of my all-time favourite pastimes is water colour painting and I don't get to do much of that.
Question: Harbour View has been criticised for not winning the competitions that matter, do you think that this takes away from your success as manager of the club?
C.J.: Not at all, firstly we don't just concentrate on winning although it is a good spin-off. What we do concentrate on is the development of the players and so the highlight of our success is the transfers that we garner. We are known internationally as a club that produces quality players. Pointing more particularly on your question though, if you look at the last 20 years, Harbour View have always been at the top. We have had battles with Waterhouse, Arnett Gardens and Tivoli but no matter which teams come to the fore they have to pass through Harbour View before they can call themselves champions and that's something that I am proud of.
Question: What have been the biggest challenges you have faced in your career as manager of the club?
C.J.: In the last six to seven years football has become more of a business so you run into challenges of marketing, financing and developing at consistently high rate.
Question: How much do you have left to give football, can we expect you to be at the helm of the institution for much longer?
C.J.: As long as I continue to love football and love this community I will be doing all that I can so if I am needed in this capacity, I will be here.
