North Leeward came to light last Saturday night, with the launch of the first ever night football competition, which took place at Rose Hall.{{more}}

The event, spearheaded by Carlos James and the Rose Hall Cultural and Development Organisation, saw participating teams drawn from Chateaubelair, Petit Bordel, Rose Bank, Rose Hall, Troumaca and Spring Village.

When the lights dimmed in the wee hours of Sunday morning, it was Rose Hall Jam Down which finished the beacons, as they outshone the others.

Chateaubelair Combined had to settle of second place, with Rose Bank All Stars taking the third place spot.

A satisfied James lauded the efforts of the Rose Hall Cultural and Development Organisation for hosting the event in the Rose Hall community.

“…This historic event was a first for football and a first for the North Leeward Community… I am pleased with the response from the various communities who came out to support this initiative,” James noted.

“We are likely to see this being an annual event, because of the overwhelming success. Hopefully at some point we can see floodlights being a permanent fixture on the playing fields in North Leeward,” James said.

James singled out the playing field in Cumberland, which is currently under construction and the Petit Bordel playing field as potential locations that could accommodate night football and cricket matches.

He agreed that there are facilities in North Leeward that can host national events, once they are upgraded and equipped to accommodate these matches.

According to James, the event is a starting point for some of the programmes that he expects to unfold in the North Leeward community under the “Youth-On-the-Block Project”.

“We have youngsters out here at midnight playing night football and displaying a high level of sportsmanship and discipline, instead of being somewhere on a block getting up to mischief. Initiatives such as these augur well for the development of the communities these youngsters represent and they go a long way in stifling delinquency among the youth,” James said.

According to James, “….We have to find a way to empower and motivate these youngsters, while at the same time utilising their talents and energies in a positive way.

“If we can get over 300 persons out at midnight and over 50 young men from various community teams on a playing field participating in a tournament, rather than in a night club or on the block somewhere, then it shows that there is the potential to tap into a source of energy than can be used in a positive way,” he said.

“The real winners were the communities in North Leeward who came together to support these youngsters,” he concluded.(RT)