I have a confession to make about playing political football.
Just as I have embraced the LIME Pelican Football Challenge, I now fully endorse the David Thompson Constituency Councils Football Classic.
After journeying all over the country, watching and reporting on more local football matches than any other journalist in Barbados in the last decade, I must admit I’ve seen and heard about political football on and off the field of play.
Being a player and president of a football club for almost 20 years of my life has also prepared me for various aspects of political football as I’ve had to interact with politicians from both major political parties.
I am eternally grateful to the politicians and business community for sponsoring my club’s two teams with the necessary gear to play in the Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) tournaments.
I remember travelling to Trinidad and Tobago in the early 1990s when the cost of the airline ticket was around $150 to purchase gear because it was a lot cheaper to do so then than buy locally.
Maybe if there were constituency councils in those days, I could outline the needs of my club in a letter in order to obtain sponsorship or financial assistance.
Thus, because of my community and journalistic experience, I may be in a better position than most people, especially those with political axes to grind or others who are unaware of what is transpiring within the football fraternity, to comment impartially about the benefits which can be derived from having these two tournaments.
Because of the massive interest and the way the players and fans, especially the women, have gravitated to each tournament, with their lucrative prize money and incentives, both should be a fixture on the national football calendar.
But preferably, they should be held at separate times of the year to avoid clashes and burn-out of players.
Football is a billion-dollar sport with its governing body, FIFA, the richest association in the world.
And if marketed correctly in Barbados with impactful and innovative ideas and initiatives, it could become an income-generating industry, not only for small and medium-sized businesses but also an avenue for job-creation.
In fact, it would be prudent to have similar tournaments, even if on a smaller scale in some of the other sporting disciplines like cricket, netball, volleyball, basketball, athletics and even a pastime like dominoes.
Therefore my suggestion again to the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) is to join forces with the constituency councils and have a Twenty20 competition, exclusively for the parishes, under lights at Kensington Oval.
Of course, players would only be able to represent the parish where they live or are registered to vote. Sponsorship can be sourced by a business entity within each parish, who can act as the franchise owner.
Having seen the fraternizing and support for the various communities, the other associations, if they don’t believe they have the numbers within the constituencies, should consider zonal competitions.
The LIME Pelican Challenge franchise-based format, which has been successfully undertaken in the Indian Premier League and more recently the Caribbean Premier League, should also be mirrored by some of these associations.
I sincerely respect the views of those skeptics, who have been critical of the viability of spending more than a half million dollars in a constituency councils’ tournament, especially in exacting economic times.
But without wanting to be whistled for straying off-side to score any goals, I must say that the positives far outweigh the negatives in the staging of the constituency councils tournament.
After taking some verbal blows from a number of constituency councils representatives during last year’s launch of the tournament at the Ministry of Social Care in Warrens because I dared to ask some pertinent questions of Minister Steve Blackett in relation to the overall cost and rationalization of staging it, I must concede from a professional perspective, there is indeed merit and justification in doing so.
However, I still believe that there needs to be a scaling down of some of the unnecessary expenditure in certain areas like hospitality and transportation costs.
But the live and entertaining play-by-play commentary by people like Ivan “Speed” Forde, I-Cole International and others, is a must as it adds to the electrifying atmosphere at the venues.
I was never in favour of free admission for adults for the final at Kensington Oval. Only schoolchildren and participating players should be allowed that luxury.
Maybe Hamilton Lashley, who has been a driving force behind this tournament and his team of organizers, should look at also playing the semi-finals at either the National Stadium or Kensington Oval while charging an admission fee of $5 or $10. I’m sure the spectators will accept that everything can’t be free as the organizers need to recoup some of their expenditure.
It has also been noticeable that all 30 teams are now being represented by the best footballers in the respective constituencies and showcasing their past and present national players.
Originally, one of the objectives of the tournament was to unearth hidden talent within the constituency and give the unheralded footballers their moment in the spotlight.
However, the most of the teams are now being taken over by the well known Premier League and Division One players.
Hence, it is going to be necessary to amend the eligibility rules by making it mandatory for the each team to include a minimum of five Premier League players, at least two youth players in the starting line-up.
Vendors, deejays, commentators, caterers, the officials and footballers have all been able to make some much needed extra money and there are others, eager to cash in. Stores and salons have also benefited by having additional customers, who want to dress up and have a new look for the grand final or any other major matches.
The spectators have been generally well behaved with only a few isolated incidents which can be eliminated by the deployment of more police officers.
The large crowds at almost all the community-based venues is an indication of the demand and popularity for this tournament.
Unfortunately, some people who have never kicked a football in their life and are only seeing red, are too condemnatory rather than complimentary.