WFA boss targeting sports as a business

WESTERN BUREAU:

While the Government of Jamaica is seemingly either unwilling or unable to create a viable industry out of sports, Everton Tomlinson, the ambitious president of the Westmoreland Football Association (WFA), is hell-bent on making sports a big money business in that western parish.

Despite being faced with a monumental financial challenge, Tomlinson is currently spearheading a bold bid to create a state-of-the-art sports complex at the Savanna-la-Mar based Llandilo facility, which is owned by the WFA. As part of an overall drive to create top-class international venue.

"We have huge plans for this property; some of which have already been instituted and completed," said Tomlinson, an accomplished footballer prior to moving into football administration. "... the big picture is to open up Westmoreland as an additional venue to host international matches."

However, the bid to drive the project has been quite burdensome for Tomlinson, primarily due to inadequate financial support. Nonetheless, to date, the WFA has completed the new clubhouse and changing rooms for players and officials, as well as the FA's office building, which is now being outfitted with furniture, including computers.

While facilities such as the Treasure Beach Sports and Recreation Complex, St Elizabeth, and Westpow Park, Montego Bay, has seemingly realised the type of dream Tomlinson is harbouring for Llandilo, their success has been a source of constant motivation for the WFA boss.

"It will cost the association approximately $6 million alone to just erect a perimeter wall at Llandilo," said Tomlinson. "It will require another $20-odd million for the re-aligning of the main football field, plus the creation of a small training field and the construction of a futsal field."

Mundo running track

While football will be the primary offering at the Llandilo facility, Tomlinson also wants an international size Mundo running track to facilitate athletics. Additionally, he wants to construct a hard court for netball, basketball and volleyball.

"The plan is to make the complex a self-sustaining entity, and as a consequence, we are planning to construct a plaza within the complex. The income generated will go directly to the complex maintenance fund," said Tomlinson.

While he ready recognises that funding will remain a major issue, the optimistic Tomlinson is hoping that by consistently engaging the Chase Funds, the Sports Development Foundation and Central Westmoreland's Member of Parliament Dwayne Vaz, the required assistance will be realised.

"We at the WFA have done all that we can financially; now it's the time for others to come on board and put their financial support behind the project," said Tomlinson. "Football development is social development and in many ways, national development, too."

"When completed, this complex can bring this parish and this country a tremendous opportunity to earn from the big global sports market to include sports tourism. I believe it's time that we really get serious about it," added Tomlinson.

In looking at Jamaica's credentials in terms of its capacity to generate significant earnings from sports, especially sports tourism, Tomlinson all but concluded that the nation is squandering its resources.

"Countries with far less than what we have in terms of sporting success are enjoying a greater share of the cake ... we have Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell, the Reggae Boyz, Nicholas Walters, and the historic bobsledders who went to the Winter Olympic in Canada," argued Tomlinson. "And there are many others from cricket, netball and table tennis ... their legacy is just sitting there. We have gold and yet we cannot see the big picture."

In lamenting the length of time it has taken for the Llandilo property, which was given to the people of Westmoreland by former Prime Minister Michael Manley in 1973, to be transformed into something worthwhile, Tomlinson says he believes the responsibility has fallen on this generation.

"It is left to us, this generation, to give the people what they should have had many years ago," said Tomlinson. "I have dedicated my life to this project. It must come to completion in order to give the young men and women a place to hone their skills.. we must use this facility to open the door to sporting opportunities for our people."