KSAFA wants youth football restart
Vice-president wants a rethink of trickle-down policy regarding football’s return
Published:Wednesday | December 29, 2021 | 12:12 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
KINGSTON AND St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) vice president, Carvel Stewart, said the return of youth football should be given as much consideration as efforts being made for the resumption of senior parish competitions.
Stewart argued that, unlike other parish FAs, KSAFA is not overlooking youth football and has submitted a separate protocol document, from the one presented by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to the Government, for the return of youth competitions and is eagerly awaiting a response.
“We have submitted our document to the ministry and are waiting on what the provisions are.
“The proposal, which is supported by the federation, is to support Super and Major League and youth football, as we cannot keep ignoring youth football.
“Youth football is the beginning of all football. The problem with the other people (FAs) is that they are trying to build from the top down, when it is from the bottom up. So we have to try and start up the youngest ones,” he said.
He said, the playing of the schoolboy football competitions is a major boost to their hopes and he disclosed that KSAFA has arrangements in place to get youth competitions going as soon as approval is granted.
“We have an arrangement to get going as quickly as possible. We will be looking at staging some special U13 and U15 competitions as soon as we get approval.
“With schoolboy competitions ongoing, a lot of youths are now training, so we need to get the approval as quickly as possible to have enough time to be ready,” he said.
St James and Western Confed president, Gregory Daley, said youth football resumption is very much a part his agenda and steps are being taken to ensure his parish is ready.
“Within the parish we are looking at youth football. So whatever is the requirement we will try to have those things in place but we are looking at it (youth football) more than anything else right now,” he stated.
He noted that their request to the federation is mainly for the return of the Major League and youth leagues but his main focus is youth competitions.
NO DEFINITIVE POSITION
“I know we are going to be playing the Major League but we have not taken a definitive position on the division one.
“But the concentration will be on the different levels of youth football the Under 20, U17, U15 and U13.
“Schoolboy football is a heads-up for us. We have to look along that line to see what is done and what’s needed to get it done. We have to take it in stride and have things in place” he commented.
Clarendon FA president, Ewan Scott, said his focus is on getting senior competitions back, with the hope that it will lead to the eventual return of all football.
“The clubs are given a mandate of things they need in place in preparation for the return to football for if and when the Government gives the okay.
“But the hope is to get the senior competitions going and then hopefully the others will follow,” he said.
JFF general secretary, Dalton Wint, said no accommodations is currently being made for the return of youth football.
He said the proposal to the Government is to get senior competitions reactivated, as that will establish the basis for which youth football can eventually return.
“We have had discussions with the parish associations about restarting football. We would first like to start the senior programmes and then we can let it trickle down to the youths.
“We are formulating a protocol document to submit to the Government. We had those discussion. We talked about their minimum start-up requirement and we are trying to put that in a document for the Government,” he offered.