Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
THE ST. James Football Association (StJFA) has had five of its football fields suspended. That decision was made following a Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) sanctioned inspection by chairman of the Jamaica Football Referees Commission, Charlie Barrett.
General secretary of the JFF, Burchell Gibson, responded on the weekend to Barrett's findings which were submitted on Friday.
"I have written to the St. James FA on the weekend advising them that two of the fields, Lottery and Kempshott, are out, but the other three could see action again once corrective measures have been instituted," said Gibson.
Barrett inspected the five fields of Orange, Hurlock, Kempshott, Albion and Lottery last Wednesday before submitting his findings to the JFF on Friday, and found that none of them met the minimum requirements of 100 yards in length or conformed to the minimum width of 50 yards.
"Lottery is 78 yards long and 63 yards wide and has definitely been ruled out along with Kempshott which met neither requirement. None of these fields had the land space to be improved but the other three could be used later following improvements done over the Christmas holidays or later," said Barrett, who was commissioned by the JFF following a report from the Jamaica Football Referees Association president Peter Prendergast who visited the fields the previous Sunday.
In his findings Barrett stated that: "Albion needs top soil, grass, to add four metres in length as well as reduce the width. There is also the situation where one of the goals is 8' 6" and it should be eight feet."
GOAL POSTS NEEDED
Of Orange he said: "Two goal posts are needed as neither meet the width measurement which should be five inches - the same as the width of the goal line. The goal posts are also too short."
Like Albion and Orange, Hurlock needed to be properly levelled, have top soil applied and grassed to allow play to take place.
But Barrett appeared kind in comparison to Prendergast in his observations of the field.
"Incredible! Incredible!" he said with a look of disbelief on his face. He was most critical of Albion which, he said, according to his information, was supposed to be the second field in the parish behind Jarrett Park.
Albion, he said, was a field with holes and stones. Behind one of the goals, he said, there was a three-inch mound of dirt.
HOLES AND STONES
He vented his dissatisfaction at the St. James FA and linked the current standard of play in the region to the poor quality of the fields.
"No wonder western football is like this," he stated before reeling off a series of questions.
"How can you have an organisation that does not really care or see about something that you are presiding over? How is that possible? Why has the west sat behind so long? Why have they not made it a priority?" he asked.
The issue first arose when the chairman of the Western Referees Group, Techus Nemhard, indicated to the JFRA president that they were having problem with the standard of the fields in St. James. He had earlier indicated that no member of his body would be officiating any matches at those venues and a rift between both bodies developed.
"At a meeting with president Boxhill on Friday (December 2), based on the fact that I was going to be in Montego Bay for that weekend, I told him I would go and look at the fields. Ricardo Morgan, Anthony Garwood and I went to make an inspection of the field with Techus. We were amazed at what they call fields and have people playing on," Prendergast said.
Several attempts were made to speak with the president of the St. James Football Association, Lennox Wallace. All failed.
Nembhard, who triggered the action, said that taking the five fields out of commission would "reduce the number of games that are played on a particular day but the FA has the option of rescheduling the games at Wyndham, Herbert Morrison Technical High, Bickersteth, Lethe or Jarrett Park, when available."
