Paul-Andre Walker, Staff ReporterA GOOD season in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League is made long before the teams take the field.
For newcomers August Town that is even more true than it is for anybody else.
Their coach Christopher Bender, who has taken them from the doldrums of the Super League into the limelight of the Premier League, is looking for a second chance just as much as the team is.
In order to do that, Bender says that his team will need a mammoth outpouring of corporate support.
"The president is away seeking sponsorship and I'm sure that he'll get the required amount," Bender had said after the Premier League play-offs were over.
The next problem is for the team to have a field of its own.
At the University of the West Indies (UWI), August Town basically had free rein, but they have no legal right to build on the field on which they play.
However, many meetings between the management of both institutions seem to suggest that August Town's home will be the UWI field.
As for players, Bender has said that there are weak areas in the team that cannot be filled with the talent he presently has.
The coach has also pointed to the youth of his team and the need to garner players with more Premier League experience to guide them.
One of the things that Bender hopes will help the team is the pull of the community, a fact which he says, cannot be underestimated.
Naggo Head don't have the same problems as August Town, says their vice president/secretary/
treasurer, Michael Edwards.
First of all, the club will share Ferdie Neita Park with Portmore United and, from all indications, crowd support is expected to swell.
"I expect to see more people than you saw at the Premier League play-off games," said Edwards.
Despite that, the crowd support will be of mostly motivational value as the revenue expected from the venue won't go a long way.
"Crowd support will be a drop in the bucket. However, it is important and we appreciate it very much," said Edwards.
Naggo Head will also be doing some restructuring of their management.
DUTY SEPARATION
Edwards, who wears three hats, points out that he can no longer do that and the separation of duties will become necessary.
Money in Jamaican football is hard to come by but Edwards, who says his club is in the embryonic stages of negotiations with corporate entities within the community, thinks Naggo Head can pull it off.
As for players, Edwards, like Bender and August Town, is looking towards loyalty and commitment to bring good players, rather than the promise of the dollar.
"We have players that have always wanted to be a part of Naggo Head, but not a part of the lower leagues," he said.
"They have made their voices heard and said they are coming. There are great signs that some of these players are coming and you have to note that we have a good crop of players, we just need to improve them and get them ready for the pace of the Premier League."
