WESTERN SPORTS - Goodwill Tour hits Treasure Beach; Premier League quartet brings top-flight action to St Elizabeth, St Ann

Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Goodwill Tour of the island's south coast by Red Stripe Premier League outfits Cavalier, Montego Bay United, Waterhouse and Sporting Central Academy will move into Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, with a double-header at Treasure Beach Sports Park today.

In the games down for contention, KSAFA outfit Cavalier will battle Montego Bay United in the 2 p.m. curtain-raiser, while Sporting Central will take on Waterhouse at 4:00.

"First and foremost, this Goodwill Tour is a way of getting some much-needed match practice for the teams ahead of the 2013-14 Red Stripe Premier League season, "said MBUFC's president, businessman Orville Powell.

Relishing opportunity

"We don't have the scope for a lot of practice matches so we relish this opportunity," he added.

The Goodwill Tour, which features three playing days, actually started yesterday afternoon with a double-header at St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in Santa Cruz - Montego Bay United vs Sporting Central and Cavalier vs Waterhouse.

In addition to providing practice for the four teams, Powell said the tour is also a novel way of bringing football to a section of the island which has no premier league representation.

"St Elizabeth and St Ann are two football-loving parishes without any teams in the Red Stripe Premier League," said Powell.

"We see this as an opportunity to bring top-flight club football to these areas, and we are hoping the fans will turn out in large numbers to watch the games."

For Cavalier, which acquired a number of new players during the off season, the tour will provide the club's coaching staff with an opportunity to assess these players.

"We have not lost any players from last season and we have acquired a few new players, so this is an opportunity to look at them," said Rudolph Speid, the top man at Cavalier. "We are hoping that this season will be a very good one for Cavalier."

With both St Elizabeth and St Ann in close proximity to Montego Bay, Powell is hoping that the tour will help the club to attract new fans.

"We are looking to strengthen our fan base with new supporter, so if we played good football on this tour, we should be able to attract some new supporters," said Powell. "We believe that it is important for a club like MBUFC to have a strong fan base."

The tour will end tomorrow (Sunday), when the teams cross the border from St Elizabeth to St Ann for yet another big double-header at Drax Hall Sports Club, starting at 2 p.m. Cavalier will meet Sporting Central in the opening game, while Montego Bay United will battle Waterhouse at 4 p.m.

The Tour, which has reportedly got the blessing of the Premier League Clubs Association and the Jamaica Football Association, is the brainchild of Speid, Powell and Ainsley Lowe, with the backing of the St Elizabeth and the St Ann Football associations.

MBUFC's president Orville Powell - File

• Today's games

2 p.m.: Cavalier vs Montego Bay United

4 p.m.: Sporting Central vs Waterhouse

Venue: Treasure Beach Sports Park, Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth

• Tomorrow's games

2 p.m.: Cavalier vs Sporting Central

4 p.m.: Montego Bay United vs Waterhouse

Venue: Drax Hall, St Ann