Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer

A section of Watson Taylor Park in Hanover. - Contributed

Lucea, Hanover:

Some members of the football fraternity in Hanover are lamenting what they say is the dismal state of the football fields in the parish.

According to them the problem is not only affecting the quality of play in the parish's leagues, but is causing injury to many promising footballers.

Sports Development Officer for the parish and former national footballer, Linton 'Conch' Stewart, told The Gleaner that he hoped the relevant agencies will, this year, pay some attention to the fields in the parish, which has produced some of Jamaica's finest footballers.

"The fields are not in a good shape at all," Stewart said. "I would have hoped the Sport Development Foundation (SDF) would have helped to rehabilitate the Watson Taylor Park. The surfaces of the fields in the parish are bumpy. Most were not built properly in the first place and have improper drainage and become waterlogged when it rains. Because of this some footballers are afraid to tackle because they know they will get bruised."

Need good fields

"Hanover needs some good fields. The parish is alone in the dark," Olivia 'Bubu' Sewell, a former Wadadah striker who now represents Prosper FC, told The Gleaner."The playing conditions need to be improved, especially at Rusea's and Watson Taylor Park because the fields are rocky and full of gravel. Rusea's is not too bad, but it has many faults still.

"Sometimes you are running and then all of a sudden you find yourself in a hole. The football can't flow and you can't do much dribbling or proper controlling, because of uneven bounce. You can't slide tackle either or you end up with 'cherry'," Sewell complained.

And youth coach and former national defender, Horace 'Cement Kid' Samuels, expressed the same sentiments.

"There are no good fields in the parish. They are rocky and have little grass. It is virtually impossible to make a good five to 10-metre pass without problems. A lot of players are leaving the game early as they develop shin and knee problems when they step in the holes on the fields and so within a short time their football playing days are numbered. The fields in the parish need to be rehabilitated," he stressed.

Financial support

The Hanover Parish Development Committee (HPDC) has also expressed disappointment that the SDF has not spent any funds in the parish for more than a decade despite the Sports Ministry's reports that the SDF had "received contributions from the Jamaica Lottery Company (JLC) in the amount of $418.314 million and earned a further $19.187 million from prudent investments, bringing total inflows over the period to $437.501 million," during the period from May 1999 to December 2001.

The CHASE Fund also reported in 2004 that "between November 25, 2002 and January 31, 2004, over $195 million has been allocated to sports", triggering further complaints by the HPDC.

In March last year, former national coach and technical director, Wendell Downswell, called on the government and private sector to support the rehabilitation of Hanover's major football fields, which he said were below the required standard set by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

At the time, Downswell said the parish would find itself in a precarious position if any of its teams managed to qualify for the Wray and Nephew National Premier League as no home games could be allowed in the parish.