ISSA’s Wellington: New format needs time to produce fan support
Published:Saturday | April 9, 2022 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
The new schedule that has been introduced at the 2022 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships may still have growing pains in terms of fan attendance. However, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) President Keith Wellington says that he expects that to change over time as persons get more familiar with the format.
The new schedule saw the 100m finals moved from its traditional Friday evening slot to Wednesday, in a bit to give the junior athletes time to recover and to sync with international standard meets.
While there was a sizeable support for the 100m finals on Wednesday in the grandstand at the National Stadium, it did not have the crowd attendance compared to its traditional Friday slot.
PLEASED WITH FEEDBACK
While disappointed at not getting the turnout they expected for the 100m finals, Wellington said that he has been pleased with the feedback from the schedule changes, saying that patience will be needed for patrons to adjust to the new standard.
“I think that many of the fans would not have been prepared for these changes and so the type of support or turnout that we would have expected, we didn’t see it on Wednesday and Thursday. But I know it is something will grow over time, as people are more familiar with the schedule and can make their plans ahead of time,” Wellington told The Gleaner.
Additionally Wellington said that traditional Champs supporters who are used to the Friday showcase would have not been sensitised enough for the midweek finals.
“They would know what is taking place on Friday and Saturday and therefore they wouldn’t have made preparations for Wednesday, Thursday if they don’t normally come on a Wednesday or a Thursday. But having got this one out of the way, I’m sure in another year or two we are going to see a really good turnout on Wednesdays and Thursdays as well,” Wellington said. “We are also aware that person are just getting back into the groove of public life and things will take a little time to get to where we foresee it getting to.”
It is a blueprint that Wellington said will be kept for the future, with minimal adjustments to be considered in ensuring that the well-being of the student athletes are put first.
“We will continue to look and make sure that we are offering the best opportunity for the children to perform at their best. I’m not going to say that it won’t change again but this is the basic layout of what we will would like to see going forward,” Wellington said.