Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
Naggo Head captain, Patrick Edmonson, is tackled from behind by August Town's Tafari O'Connor. Getting close to the action is August Town's David Laylor (partially hidden) and Delroy Johnson (left). - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
WHAT DOES it take for
a club to make it at top-flight football in Jamaica?
It certainly isn't talent. Just like in other leagues around the world, when sides get promoted to the top-tier football competition they tend to struggle.
As a matter of fact, most of the time they are odds-on favourites to make the trek right back to where they came from.
In this season's edition of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League, the two teams faced with this burden are August Town and Naggo Head.
In order for us to surmise if they have a good chance of surviving at the next stage of the competition, let's take a look at those teams that have avoided what has become an almost inevitable fate.
ABSENCE
Last season, Boys' Town made their way back to the Premier League after a 10-year absence. At the time their coach, Andrew Price, had said that his side just wanted to be competitive throughout the tournament.
The simple goal was achieved and they are back to contest for top honours once again.
How did they manage it?
Firstly, they benefited from having the support of their community, which turned out in numbers even before the side had a home field.
Secondly, they had rich footballing history in their favour. This helped them in that players were willing to risk leaving big-name clubs to ply their trade at Boys' Town.
Thirdly, they belatedly, were able to garner enough sponsorship to be able to pay the massive wage bill created from playing at the country's highest level.
Seba also survived their first season in the top league.
Going for them was also football history and they were able to attract some of the best talent from western Jamaica. To the detriment, maybe, of teams like Village and Reno.
EXPERIENCE PLAYERS
They were also aided by having infra-structure already in place from previous sojourns in the top league and they have, of course, the experience of players like Theodore Whitmore, who at one stage took up the reins as coach of the team.
Do Naggo Head and August Town have any of those positives and will those be enough to help them?
Being a St. Catherine team, Naggo Head will no doubt be aided by the stable position of Portmore United and the fact that the parish already has two stadiums recognised as fit for Premier League play.
They are also aided by a strong connection to the community, as was made evident by the crowds they attracted to their play-off games.
If this will lead to them getting the kind of financial support and the kind of players that it will take to stay is yet to be seen.
As for August Town, they certainly have a rich history, if not as a team, certainly in terms of creating talent that has showed itself all around the league.
For instance, players like Tafari O'Conner and Denzil Mitchell have strong ties to August Town and there are other players around the league that would show interest in going back to play for them, as was the case with Boys' Town last season.
August Town do have the problem of not having the physical infrastructure available to them at present, a problem that will cost a pretty penny.
However, when they do, as was also evident from their play-off games, they will get crowd support that will rival the big teams in the competition.
Whether or not that will be enough to keep them afloat in a tough league is yet to be seen.
