Cop aiming to bring communities together

Youths from communities like Ottley Hall, Edinboro, Paul’s Avenue, Rose Place and Richmond Hill will this weekend clash with one another, however, not violently.

Under-18 footballers from these areas will, on Saturday and Sunday, do battle at the playing field in Ottley Hall during an 11-a-side soccer competition.

The initiative is the brainchild of a sergeant in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), Jules Morgan.

Morgan told SEARCHLIGHT yesterday that the effort is geared at easing tensions between persons from these areas.

He said since being stationed at Ottley Hall at the police substation, a colleague of his, Cauldric Williams, has been involved for the last five months in coaching youngsters from Ottley Hall in football.

Sergeant Morgan explained that he has visited these training sessions on more than one occasion and although the field is well maintained by the National Lotteries Authority (NLA), no competitions are held there.

“The facility is beautiful and well-kept and ready for a game, so I decided that I will get under-18 players,” said Sergeant Morgan, who is hoping to get things started by 9:30 a.m. this Saturday, December 2.

He has received the assurance from head of the Grassroot Tennis Club (GTC) Grant Connell, who has agreed to bring his “Ball Revolution” to Ottley Hall, while several soccer coaches, like “Rollit” Waldron, as well as head of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) Venold Coombs have also pledged their support.

The GTC’s “Ball Revolution” or “Bring your balls and come” is an undertaking aimed at giving youths in several communities less time for crime. The idea is to use sports as an alternative to crime.

Morgan said that on Saturday, December 2 and Sunday, December 3, the teams will play each other with the winner being rewarded with a trophy and drinks. Trophies are sponsored by the GTC and the SVGFF.  

“We want them to beat each other with the ball, beat the goal keeper, not each other. There has been tension between these communities and we want this to stop,” said Morgan.

He added, “We are hoping that this can help foster better community relations. Ottley Hall and Edinboro have been stigmatized and several persons in the community are at loggerheads and we don’t want the youngsters to have the same mentality, so we are trying to foster better community relationships among the guys.”

Morgan said there have been instances where community issues have spilled over into the schools and resulted in violence.

Sergeant Morgan is also looking at making the games a regular occurrence, with sessions on Boxing Day and early in January, once they have permission from the NLA to use the facility.

The police officer is urging persons who want to come on board to do so as, at the moment, he is funding the venture himself.

He is urging the teams to be on time, as the facility is not lighted.(LC)