Ferguson wants earlier date for schoolboy all star game
Published:Friday | January 20, 2023 | 12:07 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
While there is a desire to continue the All-Manning/All-daCosta All Star fixture on the schoolboy football calendar, Jamaica College head coach Davion Ferguson is hoping that future games can be adjusted to fit into the season.
The game made its return last Saturday as the All-daCosta team coached by Clarendon College’s Lenworth Hyde defeated the Ferguson coached All-Manning team 3-2 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 in regulation time.
Ferguson was pleased with the time that he got to spend with the best players in the Manning Cup competition and has welcomed the game’s return. However, he says that having the game weeks after the season presents a challenge that it would be void of the quality with being played after the Christmas break.
“It has to be a part of the calendar. I question the scheduling though, in terms of waiting one month after the schoolboy football season to have it,” Ferguson told The Gleaner. “Most of these players are out of competition so they are really rusty. It has to be a part of the calender but we have to schedule it a bit closer to the back end of the season.”
However, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association SSA president Keith Wellington believes that with more foresight and planning, they will be able to make the January date work.
“I think it more had to do with the lack of planning and organisation because the players would not have been aware that this game was on,” Wellington said. “But if we knew at the start of the season that we are going to select All-Manning and All-daCosta Cup teams at the end and there is going to be a two-week, three-week Christmas break, that time will be used wisely and teams will get their preparation in. I am sure we will see a better performance next year.”
Wellington was pleased with how both teams performed and confident that the fans who have called for the game’s reincarnation were treated to a great spectacle.
“It is something that I know many persons wanted to see return and I’m sure those that came and saw it today will be anxiously awaiting next year, and I am sure there are those who are sorry that they missed the game as well,” Wellington said.
Excited at the prospect of continuing the tradition, Wellington is still keen to have a mini tournament with the Intercol and Second Schools Football League winners from Trinidad and Tobago after the match was cancelled because of scheduling conflicts relating to the preparations for the Under-17 World Cup Qualifiers which take place next month.
“The two teams that would have represented them had eleven players between them in their World Cup qualifying squad and the Trinidadian Football Association was understandably not willing to release the players to come and play that game,” Wellington explained. “So that was the only thing that hindered us from having that game. I am sure that this is something that will happen in the future.”