By Patrick R. Anderson
Two major football competitions begin this weekend. The ISSA LIME Schoolboy Football competitions on Saturday, and the Red Stripe Premier League on Sunday.
And from all accounts, the competition which appears more certain, better promoted, better prepared and better organised, is the ISSA LIME Schoolboy Football competitions.
And separate from the arguments that schoolboy football is an institution with the schools carrying lifetime support, the sponsorship is more definitive, and there is no question that ISSA works hard with the schools and coaches and all stakeholders to produce an excellent product.
Who can forget what is now an epic schoolboy match played last season LIVE on TVJ and HITZ92FM, between Wolmer's and St George's College?
Not only was the match of a high quality, but the experience surrounding the matches brought on by LIME, added some spectacle to the fare.
The issue is, with the island's premier competition kicking off one day after the schoolboy variety, all we are hearing about is the schoolboy competition.
And this concerns me, because, if the Premier League is to hold pride of place in the country where Winfreid Schafer should be able to look with glee at the available local talent, not only are we to present attractive high class football, but the experience and hype surrounding the games should not be reserved only for Monday night football.
Red Stripe and the PLCA must move to inject some life in the premiership all around, so that Monday night football can benefit even more and become the preeminent fixture that it is.
ISSA is also willing to make adjustments to its competitions, example change the qualifying process for the second round of the DaCosta Cup, and scrap a useless and painful Olivier Shield first leg which almost always ensures the DaCosta Cup champions are at a disadvantage because of the proximity of the DaCosta Cup final to the former two way Olivier Shield.
The Olivier Shield is now a one off spectacle featuring the Manning Cup and DaCosta Cup champions, in what should be a great play to the finish encounter.
If the Red Stripe Premier League is to become sustainable and as popular as the schoolboy tournament, drastic changes must occur. One of which ought to be, the premier league must move to an 8-team play-offs which will sustain fan interest, club interest, media interest and sponsors interest right until the very end.
A word to the wise is sufficient.