LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

STRUCTURAL damage to a number of Wray and Nephew National Premier League clubs' home ground facilities have forced the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to push back the kick off date by a week.

After a mid-day meeting yesterday at the JFF's New Kingston office regarding the start of the NPL, general secretary Burchell Gibson said the administration is "looking at starting the league on the 26th of September instead of the 19th and we will be informing the clubs right away".

Gibson also said that coming from the meeting was the planning of a match funeral for the five footballers who died in a car accident last week. Winston Anglin, a former national player, Donald Findlayson, Keith Roy Gentles, Alan Dexter and Oneil Eccleston, all of whom played for clubs affiliated to the St. James FA, died last Sunday on the Queen's Highway, St. Ann. The match funeral is planned for Sunday.

DAMAGES

Meanwhile, checks with Premier League clubs revealed that most of their facilities sustained damages by hurricane Ivan which lashed the island on the weekend.

Defending champs Tivoli Gardens lost the roof of its clubhouse and a number of billboards were levelled.

Former champs Portmore United may have been hit the hardest with severe damage to their fence and playing surface.

"The field is completely water-logged, we won't be able to use it for at least another two weeks," claimed former JFF General Secretary Horace Reid, the chairman of the club.

"We were having some rains before the onslaught of the hurricane so the field is completely soaked. There has been structural damage as well. Most of the fence which encloses the complex was destroyed," he added.

MISSING ZINC

Waterhouse's ground in Drewsland also received some damage with a few sheets of zinc from the VIP stand missing and downed billboards tore away a part of the fence that surrounds the playing area.

Some club's were more fortunate, however.

Harbour View withstood serious damage despite houses close by being taken apart by the wrath of Ivan.

"Nothing too extraordinary happened. A few panels, boards and the net by the western goal were affected," said club manager Clyde Jureidini.

Arnett Gardens' home ground, Tony Spaulding Sports Complex, which was recently improved with a gym, a physiotherapy room and a lounge was intact, according to club president Patrick Roberts.

"We took every precaution to ensure that nothing would be damaged. Only about three billboards were destroyed," he said.

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