INSPORTS Community League to the rescue

Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sport

THROUGH linkages and coordinated efforts with a number of social organisations, the Institute of Sports (INSPORTS) is using its Claro All-Island Community League football competition to tackle a number of issues that are eating away the lifeblood of these townships.

The islandwide league, boosted through a whopping $51 million sponsorship over three years from the fast-growing communications network, Claro, kicks off at Watson Taylor Park in Hanover this afternoon, with an opening ceremony and a match that signals a second-year competition that is more than just a ball game.

"This competition is not only about hosting a football tournament, it's about shaping a life," stressed INSPORTS executive director, Ian Andrews.

"We invited a number of stakeholders on board from the social side of the society, namely, Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL), which is an educational arm; Ministry of Health, through their drug-awareness programme; Conflict and Dispute Resolution, mainly because a number of persons from the communities are suffering, or have suffered traumatic experiences because of crime," Andrews explained. "They have witnessed loved ones being killed. They would still have a lot of anger-management issues to deal with."

The league caters to unattached persons in the communities who are not involved in any organised competitions, such as the Manning or daCosta Cup schoolboy tournaments, as well as other parish and Premier League contests.

Andrews pointed out that they featured among the target group for their educational programmes, which also focus on drug awareness.

"Drug awareness is also very, very important to the nation. Regardless of how young or old you are, there's that component of sports which has to be looked at," he said.

He also mentioned a general literacy programme, noting the benefits to be derived from thinking individuals.

"The education aspect is also very important. The educated person has the ability to reason better than the uneducated one ... ," he argued.

"It's something that we don't like to talk about, but there's a lot of illiteracy going on in the country and if we can put a system in place through sports, where we can identify such persons and put them quietly in programmes to get them involved, then that would help significantly.

"We tried it last year and the experiment worked to an extent," Andrews pointed out. "We're making sure this year - because we have this sponsorship - that we deliver. We're going to make sure this is not only for the players. We're also looking at programmes for the officials and the referees.

"Last year, we unearthed a number of officials as well. Some of those officials are now in the Jamaica Football Referees' Association programme because of the Community League," he stated.