Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
THE OLIVIER Shield has been around for so long, there's no surprise it has lost much of its sheen.
Sad as it may be, the competition for it has faded over the years. Gone are the days when the shield was the ultimate target, shining brightly for schoolboy teams from town and country taking that big shot at glory.
In its place, or firmly ahead, are the tournaments which serve as the precursors, the daCosta and Manning Cups.
The spectators tell the story and in a big way too.
"Look at the crowd this week," exclaimed Emerson 'Diggy' Henry, a fan in the sparse gathering which witnessed Saturday's first-leg Olivier Shield clash between Godfrey Stewart and Calabar at Jarrett Park.
"Last week the place was jam-packed," he said referring to the full-house which turned out only a week earlier to witness the daCosta Cup final between Godfrey Stewart and Glenmuir.
Henry, who coached Rusea's to six Olivier Shield titles, wasn't finished: "And most of the people who are here are from Calabar, look how far they have travelled?"
TOWN VS COUNTRY
Emphasising the importance of the competition, which began in 1909, he said: "It's town vs country - schoolboy surpremacy.
"When the Rusea's, the Cornwalls, the traditional schools used to play, there used to be more support. There's more support for the traditional teams ... there are a lot more people around who used to go to those schools.
"The new schools which win the daCosta Cup don't treat it with any significance. And the spectators treat it the same way."
Institute of Sports executive director and former Jamaica College student Ian Andrews shares those sentiments.
"A lot of the traditional schools are not winning anymore and that has taken some of the lustre off the competition. And those schools that are winning now don't know the whole history. There is no appreciation," explained Andrews.
"Just remember when C'bar last played in the Olivier Shield final, the National Stadium was packed to capacity," added Andrews in reference to the Red Hills Road school's 1977 appearance against Clarendon College. "It has definitely lost its sting."
WANING INTEREST
A man who played in packed stadiums in Kingston and MoBay for Rusea's against St. George's College for the Olivier Shield, Kenneth 'Blacks' Gaynor, also pointed to waning interest in the competition.
"Only in the first game (daCosta final) that Godfrey Stewart played did I see that spirit that was in my time. The crowd is less, but the standard has dropped down here in Montego Bay too, the whole football standard has dropped," noted the far-striding Gaynor who used to score some spectacular goals from long range.
"Just look at the lights," he said pointing to the pylons in Jarrett Park on Saturday. "From the bottom to the top would be full with people in my time. People used to run weh from work fi come watch dem match ya."
Dr. Dean Weatherly, who coached Cornwall to shield supremacy, says the Olivier Shield showdown has lost top billing due to "lack of promotion".
Weatherly said: "I think ISSA needs to promote it because of its rich history. A lot of people don't know about its history because it is the oldest football competition in the country. It's also due to a lack of marketing."
He added: "For new teams it's not the same. It comes back to the history of the competition, people don't understand. But ISSA needs to do more, it comes in as if it is an afterthought."
Clement Radcliffe, the president of ISSA, says the organisation did some serious promotion for the competition this year and that there were regular ads on radio about the two-leg decider.
"We've tried to market the football and this year I was therefore very disappointed with the support from people in the west for the first leg," Radcliffe said.
"We didn't market it any less but it's just that people have their choice," he explained.
Commenting further, Radcliffe said the Manning and daCosta competitions had always gotten more support.
"It has always been this way. It has never been any different. The hype has always been for the Manning and the daCosta Cup competitions. Certainly, the Manning and daCosta Cups had lost interest in terms of attractiveness. "Things changed last year when you had outstanding play from Excelsior. Calabar are doing that this year. Persons will be attracted when you have good football being played and schools involved with a strong tradition and support base," he pointed out.
In terms of making the Olivier Shield play-off reflect its true status, Radcliffe said: "We're looking to see what we can do to see how we can reverse that trend. We think that based on logic, it should be the high point of the season because it identifies the national champion but people don't see it that way ."
