That overkill again

“Soccer, Soccer – the game of the people,” was a profound promotion for local football, coined by Basil “Bung” Cato, back in the late 1970s.

Since, that statement has taken root and indeed, football is truly the main sport of the Vincentian populace.

Overtime, the sport has grown from a main national league to the sprouting of many area leagues in almost every village or community.

This type of evolvement has gone unchecked and at times seemingly unmanageable.

As it is now, an unprecedented number of football competitions are taking place on the mainland of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Counting, there are eight such league competitions taking place currently.

In operation are the North East Under-19 competition; the Richland Park Nine–a –Side competition, the South East Development Inc League, the Calliaqua Football League, the Arnos Vale Football League, the East Kingstown Football Club Competition, the Breakaway Masters Firms Competition and the Barrouallie Football League.

Also, the inaugural Futsal competition, which was a very short competition, played over two weekends, ends this Sunday.

Had this exposition been done one week earlier, then the Diamonds Football League would have been listed, while in a matter of one week, the national inter-community league is set for commencement.

Additionally, the senior division of the North East League will kick off within the next two weeks.

Positively, footballers across the nation are occupied in the sport, the playing fields are getting their rightful uses, while community leaders in sports administration are being developed and the abilities of match officials unearthed or enhanced.

In addition, one cannot slight, in any form or fashion, the social impact that football and sports as a whole contribute to the national good.

Adversely, whilst we are engaged in plenty football, the objective of development of the standard of play here is lost.

This is so because the football units are, in the main, concoctions of players from all over the island, as each seeks to achieve nothing more than to win what is at stake.

Conversely, it is basically the same pool of players who participate in these league competitions, thus not helping that much needed national cause of the sport.

Critically too, the players’ shelf lives are shortened, as injuries often take their toll. The eagerness to play football means that their health gets drowned in attaining local glory and accolades.

The end result of all this is that the dirty linen of our failure to streamline our football operations comes out in the wash, when a senior national men’s team is put on show.

What is accepted here as a good and touted near perfect structure is non-existent in other countries of the Caribbean region, where national football bodies have a firm handle on the way the sport and competitions are framed and timed.

For many years now, several executives of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) have spoken to the matter of streamlining our football; however, most have not taken the bold steps of being decisive and definitive in fixing the free for all.

The policymakers of the sport should take most of the blame, as they sanction these competitions, which in some instances, take place concurrently with those of the SVGFF.

That fear factor being rocking the boat, as it can cost them votes at elections,

Also, the respective organizers of the area leagues are so reluctant to give up on their hold on authority and standings, that they too are compounding the issues.

In fixing the problems, though, it will again call for a knocking of heads to conjure up best way out and the way forward, as any high-handed or draconian measures will be sternly resisted.

All persons who are involved in football in St Vincent and the Grenadines, must be on the same page.

The structure of our football needs an overhaul, if we want to advance.