There must be balance, says Wellington

As the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) seeks to roll out plans to increase local competition for under-17 football players, Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) president, Keith Wellington, said the federation should prioritise the right balance between sports and education.

Last week, the JFF announced an inaugural under-17 competition for Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clubs, and while he expressed some concerns with the format, Wellington welcomed the increased competition for student athletes.

He said the under-17 competition should have an islandwide focus as the JPL is dominated by teams in the Corporate Area.

“I think there is a shortfall in terms of competitive football that our 16-year-olds are afforded the opportunity to play. I think added competitions for this age group is going to be very useful for their development.

“If it is that it is going to be open to only Premier League teams, then I think that it will not help our development to the level that we expect. It would mean that most of our youngsters would not be exposed,” he added.

However, as he champions added competition for the age group, Wellington is wary of competition scheduling that could cause an impact on each athlete’s education.

With JFF’s under-17 competition set to start early May, Wellington is unconcerned about any scheduling conflicts with schoolboy football competitions. However, he said there are concerns on whether such a competition could conflict with examinations.

He pointed specifically to athletes who would be preparing to take their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

“One of the concerns that a school may have is that at that age group quite a few of the kids might be in the middle of exams, so there must be balance,” he said.

“So if you take into consideration that CXC exams actually start late April or early May, it means that those kids who are 16 years old and in fourth or fifth form in particular may have a challenge with preparing and competing properly, so the timing is important,” Wellington said.

Wellington suggested the federation should target a January or February start date for their competitions to immediately follow the ISSA schoolboy football season.