SDC four-in-one hits quarter-final stage
Published:Sunday | January 8, 2023 | 1:33 AMLivingston Scott - Gleaner Writer
THE G.C. Foster College comes alive today with the Social Development Commission (SDC) Four in One competition’s round of 16.
The top 16 teams and clubs from the 14 parishes will converge on the sports college grounds to compete in four events, namely football, netball, dominoes, and cultural expression, with the teams totalling the most points from their four disciplines to come out on top.
Terrence Richards, SDC sports coordinator, and Victor Holness, a representative of St Elizabeth champions Bull Savanna (Uprising youth club), hail the competition as a source of motivation for communities islandwide.
“It is not all about sports, but sports is used to get the communities active,” said Richards.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we are using this tournament to rebuild some of the groups that had gone dormant.
“It is the first year for the competition and we are very excited about what has happened. We were surprised to find so many teams. We are very encouraged and we expect it to grow from strength to strength as the years go by,” he said.
Holness agreed, saying the sporting activities have been one of the major drivers of community organisations, such as the Community Development Committee (CDC).
“We want to get more people organised and involved in our organisation so we can assist people and uplift the community and make things better.
“The sporting aspect has been very supportive but we are thinking about more than just the sporting aspect. It is about getting a community together to make it stronger,” said Holness.
Bull Savanna’s success as the parish championships, Holness said, has ignited enthusiasm in the community and they are aiming to do just as well at the national tournament.
EXPECTATIONS HIGH
“The expectation since we won the (parish) final at Treasure Beach has been high. Everybody has been excited from then ‘til now.
“We are hoping we can represent our parish and come out on top. The footballers are training. We are regular domino players, so we keep in tune. Our cultural artiste is doing well and the ladies mainly meet on a Sunday and they have been going on well.
“We are travelling out of parish and everyone is excited and wishing us all the best. We are prepared and ready to go and we stand a strong chance to come out on top,” he said.
The competition runs in two phases. The parish phase commenced on October 23 and concluded on December 4, and the national phase starts today and ends on January 22.
Today, the 14 parish winners, along with a team from the parish that submitted the most entrants and the best second-placed team among the 14, will make up the round-of-16 teams.
The teams will be divided into two groups of eight, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-final on the 22nd of January. The semi-finals and final will be played on the same day.
“We host it at G.C. Foster because we want to expose these communities to some of the best facilities we have available and where we can have everybody together, but we are hoping for a great day of competition and togetherness,” said Richards.