Dalton Laing, Freelance Writer
Ricardo Scott (left) gets his award for being the leading goalscorer during Reno Football Club's awards dinner at Sandals Whitehouse on Saturday night. Making the presentation is Ishmael Paharsingh, one of the club's vice-presidents. - PHOTO BY DALTON LAING
RENO FOOTBALL Club is on the threshold of signing up the Peruvian Danilo Barriga as head coach for the upcoming National Premier League football season.
President of Reno FC, Radford Malcolm, says this is part of the move by the club to position itself for better performances next season.
A football coach for 17 years, Barriga says he is happy for the opportunity to coach the Reno team, pointing to the youthfulness of the squad. He also said that if the players have discipline and are focused, Reno can achieve success.
Barriga coached Seba United of St. James in 2002.
Malcolm, who was addressing sponsors and players at an awards dinner at Sandals Whitehouse on Saturday night, says one of the mandates of the club is to acquire a home for Reno. The 32-year-old club is currently using the property of the Westmoreland Football Association as its training grounds and Frome Sports Ground as its home field.
"This executive has on its agenda to build a home ground for Reno," says Malcolm. "We want to have our own stadium where we can start developing from Under-12 to the senior team."
Towards this end, a $10 million raffle will be launched as soon as the final arrangements are completed with KIA Motors, which will be providing a vehicle for the grand prize. KIA, according to Malcolm, is also in the process of making a commitment to finance the construction of one of the stands for the stadium.
EXECUTIVE NAMED
Meanwhile, Reno also named its executive, the first time in several years the club has done so months ahead of the season. According to Malcolm, in former years the lateness of securing an executive has hampered the progress of the team at the onset.
"Over the years we have a new executive being formed only weeks before the competition, hence we start behind the eight ball, so we have to be catching up with the other teams and training is always behind."
He added that with the new executive in place ahead of time, Reno should have a smooth start this season.
The executives are: President, Radford Malcolm, Vice-President Brian Buddan, Vice-President Ishmael Paharsingh, Secretary Keith Lakeman, Public Relations Team Jeremy Jones, Aaron Lawrence, Vernon Lyons and Cleveland Green, Team Manager Dean Malloy and General Manager Patrick Campbell.
Malcolm is hoping at least half of the 20,000 spectators that Westmoreland has to support his team this season.
"If we can convince 50 per cent that we are here to stay, to believe in us and start coming back to our games, our problems are over," he said.
Jeremy Jones, general manager at Sandals Whitehouse and head of the PR team, says it's his intention to put Reno back on the map as one of the leading teams in Jamaica.
"No one wants to roll the dice and gamble on a sinking ship so if Reno is sailing off in a future of success then everybody wants to be a part of that," Jones admitted.
