For more than a century there has been a Jamaican athlete that has impressed someone, somewhere across the world. The early days of cricket tours in and out of the West Indies, international boxing cards, football, netball and host of other sports, served a bit of a signal to the world that Jamaica was and continues to be a big part of any sport conversation.
Ask any track and field fan, cricket (yes, believe it or not); netball, football, basketball fan and a Jamaican athlete’s name can come up.
Over time, sport has been funded by private and public means. What has been consistent though, is the first-class performance that has been maintained, sustained and enhanced by the athletes.
In 1995, the game changed somewhat, the Government of the day approved a plan to start the Sports Development Foundation. The SDF was established as an independent body to contribute to the development of the nation through sports.
With sport emerging (at the time) as a major contributor to the island’s economic activities, there was a thought that sport needed more. The agency in its early days focused on infrastructure and capacity building. The Mona Hockey Field (astro turf); several football fields, National Indoor Sport Centre were among some of the venues that were renovated, upgraded and built from scratch. The capacity building focused on administrative development of officials from at least 40 sporting disciplines.
As you read along, and you are in the business of sport, you can clearly identify the gaps for a country that has produced so many world-class athletes. So whilethe track and field performances have been outstanding to date, to gain and maintain the competitive edge and move ahead, there needs to be a re-thinking of how sport is:
Funded
Managed
Researched
Marketed
Re-Developed
It is with those five key areas, that my recommendations for Sport for Jamaica going forward include:
Boost the work of the SDF
Remove the S from CHASE (they can determine what to do with C-H-A-E)
Increase the staff numbers to include a:
Planner
Researcher
Marketer
Developer
It is clear that Jamaica’s technical talent is at a great level - coaches and athletes continue to break the ceiling of performance. Most of the major sporting events have consistent work being done with their technical staff.
The next level is needed and in another decade, if we are not careful, we will be chasing dreams in the key areas that will ensure that the next generation has access to the same enabling environment.
GC Foster, UTECH, UWI and Mico continue to train Sport Officials in education, management and preventative care; but an elite athlete cannot in 2023 & beyond, compete without the support of branding and marketing to take them to the top of their games.
In redefining how Jamaica as a nation treats this industry, there are also some policy decisions which should be happening simultaneously. SPORT should have its own Ministry.
This is what I envisage the team should look like from the policy and operational side
Ministry of Sport
Minister
Minister of State
Permanent Secretary
Director of Sport + 5
Sport Development Foundation (agency)
Managing Director
Directors of Marketing, Research, Finance
Corporate Planner (to deal with bilaterals, administration, academic development, infrastructure
Event Manager (incoming and outgoing delegations, permits, venue updates)
Change is inevitable if we want to be successful.
The research element of the business cannot be overstated, as it is the data we collect and how we use it to inform our next set of moves on and off the field that will determine our capacity to handle, manage and deliver a world class sporting industry run by those who are capable.
In the next column, I will pick the team who can and should be asked to deliver on this plan. Until then…
Carole
Dr Walton Small has been appointed principal of the Hydel High School with the intention of bringing about a greater balance between sports and academics at the St Catherine-based educational institution.
Corey Bennett, the Director of Sports will assume the role of president of the group of schools.
In the off-season, Hydel brought in Devon Anderson to be head football coach along with Trevin Nairne and Damian Howell, with the intention of building the best schoolboy football programme on the island.
But for the school that is already a powerhouse in track and field, there is a need to bring about a change to the school’s profile as a respected academic institution.
Dr Small is seen as the man to lead that transition.
"Ever since the monster COVID threw everybody online, threw students and people outside the classroom, even to this day students have not been interested in academics," Bennett said. "We're trying to build that back with our new board and our new principal, Dr Small, a renowned educator.
"He presents to us a rounded individual, having been president of ISSA and principal of the country's most prominent all-boys institution, so I think he understands the holistic approach to raising students."
Dr Small is excited by the challenge.
"Even though my focus will be on academics, my 12 years as president of ISSA (Inter-Secondary School Sports Association) will also be an asset in tempering the balance between sport and academics," said Dr Small, who was principal of Wolmer’s High School for Boys from 2008 and who led ISSA for 12 beginning in 2007.
"Even though my focus will be on academics, my 12 years as president of ISSA will also be an asset in tempering the balance between sport and academics.
"I'm like a mentor, a guide, to work with the individuals who have been here and to change the profile of the institution. They already have very competent leaders at the high school and prep school. We're celebrating 30 years, so we want to ensure that when the next 30 years have passed, we would have the profile that we really want. Hydel is very well known to the wider Jamaica for its sporting prowess but let me hasten to say that they do well academically as well.
"However, that is kind of subsumed because of sports. When you speak of Hydel you must say scholarly institution. We want to change the profile from mainly sport to mainly academics."
Hydel High has proven to be a solid performer in sports while winning titles in football, including the Walker Cup KO Trophy, track and field, cricket and basketball.
Situated along Mandela Highway, Hydel opened its doors in 1992 under the leadership of Hyacinth Bennett, who had been the principal of Wolmer's Preparatory for 17 years.
As Director of Sports, Bennett drove the school’s sports programmes to new heights. Now, as president, his responsibilities have been broadened to fit the new mandate.
Recalling his mother’s dream for Hydel, Corey said, "She believed in persons, who could normally not matriculate to a traditional high school, to give them a good chance for education, both in terms of academics and sport. She believes in giving a second chance and she believes in the discipline part as much as the education," he said.
That said, Bennett is looking forward to the new Manning Cup campaign as Hydel is returning to the competition for the first time since 2019.
"Our preparation went very well. We didn't enter the Manning Cup last year, so we're basically starting from scratch, Bennett said.
"We'd have a very few players from the past and we're hoping to build a squad. I don't think it's going to be the most competitive squad this year.
"Coach Devon Anderson and Nairne and Howell have been working assiduously not just to get these boys focused on school, but also on being a student first. I must commend them for mentoring the boys and just ensuring that they're okay and ready for school."
He singled out Anderson saying the coach fits the profile because he's a former Dean of Discipline at Holy Trinity High where he enjoyed success.
"Apart from being an excellent coach, he's a father figure to the boys,” Bennett said.
“And even though soft-spoken, he's firm on discipline and that's the type of person we want. He has all the qualities that we want for our boys. We want them (coaches) to be parents and fathers, mentors. Most of the boys are fatherless. He fits that mode.
"Discipline is paramount in building our school in sport and academics. One of the key goals of Dr Small and the Board and the school is to have rounded individuals."
With that in mind, the new principal said that the Hydel board aims to raise the performance at the PEP level and lift the quality of the CAPE scores and CSEC passes.
"We want to ensure that students who come to the institution leave with a minimum of five subjects because that's what is required for tertiary institutions," Dr. Small said.
"There's a dearth of institutions that cater to specialist students. We want to offer special education. And for all the students in St Catherine, this must be the first stop. There is no need for students to leave from here and go to Kingston.
"So that is why we don't want the country to see the institution as just sport. There has to be a balance between quality sport and quality education."
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Regional sports broadcasters SportsMax has thrown its support behind the social media blackout campaign, geared towards raising awareness of the need to combat the presence of rampant racism and hate speech online.
The issue has been a sore spot for fans and players around the world in recent years, with players often facing death threats and racial abuse on various social media platforms, particularly after strong or disappointing performances.
Last month, two Jamaica internationals, Jamal Lowe of Swansea and Reading’s Liam Moore were subject to racial abuse online. Swansea, in support of the player, announced a weeklong boycott of social media platforms with Championship rivals Birmingham City and Scottish champions Rangers following their lead. The initiative has since gained steam with others announcing similar decisions. The companies full statement is listed below.
SportsMax makes a bold move to join governing bodies across the United Kingdom and other organizations including the FA, Premier League, EFL, FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), The Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women's Football among others and fellow sports broadcasters in an initiative to combat widespread abuse and discrimination by not posting on social media this weekend, the suspension is scheduled from 3 pm on Friday, April 30 to 11:59 pm on Monday, May 3.
SportsMax will not post any sports content to its social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for the duration of the boycott period but instead followers will see a slate encouraging acceptance and inclusiveness for all.
“As the leading sports channel for topflight international sports in the Caribbean, SportsMax is not naïve to the vitriolic tone that some people use, especially on social media where they can hide behind anonymity and spew abuse without fear of accountability. We want to let it be known that this is not ok and it will not be tolerated, we stand with the UK sporting fraternity and all who will participate this weekend.” SportsMax CEO, Oliver McIntosh said.
Sports fans can still get all their sports news, updates, and of course live action all weekend long on the SportsMax channels and the SportsMax App and website (www.sportsmax.com).
We invite the various sporting fraternities, organizations, corporate entities, and sports fans around the Caribbean to join us as we unite and take a stance to make a difference and be the change we wish to see.
Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness has indicated that more local sports could soon resume on the island, after a series of meetings that prompted a change of heart from the government.
So far, in the wake of the pandemic, only a series of selected sports have resumed with horse racing and selected track meets listed among them. In the main, however, the majority of sports have remained shuttered since around last May, as part of efforts to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Among the more popular sports yet to resume are the National Premier League and the majority of high school competitions, which encompasses popular competitions like the Manning and daCosta Cups. Holness, however, believes that while things will not necessarily return to normal, there is now a very likely way forward.
“Prior to now, the policy was not to allow sporting events,” Holness told parliament on Tuesday.
“We contemplated this over two days. We had our COVID meeting on Friday and again on Monday and the decision is that sporting events can be allowed under conditions,” he added.
“The minister of local government, the minister of sports, the minister of public health will in due course explain what these details are.”
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Ministry of Health and Wellness have been locked in negotiations for weeks regarding the return of the premier league.
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