New MFA president gets his mandate

The Manchester Football Association (MFA) has not had a team in Jamaica’s top flight for almost 30 years, but its new president, Johnoy Chambers, is more hopeful than daunted by the prospect of turning those fortunes around.

Chambers was elected to the position last week after the death of the MFA’s previous president, Craig Larmond, necessitated an election. Larmond died two months ago.

Twenty-nine years ago, Mile Gully qualified for what is now the Jamaica Premier League and, since then, discussion about a return to the country’s top tier has never been far away. Chambers is not shying away from that challenge.

“Well, the first thing that I’ll be seeking to do is to get the clubs on board. It’s all about unity. And once we have everybody together working as a team, I think we can achieve all those things that we would have achieved in the past,” said Chambers.

While welcoming the new leadership, three prominent local coaches, each with more than five decades of involvement in the sport in the parish, have already outlined their blueprint for success. One of those coaches is Roy Anthony Peart.

“Well, my expectation is that the new leadership will visit the communities and spread his wings around and see how best he can help the communities to get back to where the football needs to go,” said Peart.

Peart has also called on Manchester’s business community to support efforts to return the parish’s football to its former stature.

“And I always say this. We are looking for the business people in Mandeville to support the MFA. Regardless, it might not be going in your favour, but give it 100 per cent support for now. And let us see where it will lead us.”

Boysie Swaby, president of Hanbury Football Club, where he operates a grassroots programme, believes Chambers should focus on youth development, while also paying close attention to transitioning players into the senior ranks.

“I think we have a good foundation with our youth football. But I think that transition to the more senior level, we need to make some improvement there,” he said.

According to Swaby, Chambers will also need to address the parish’s football infrastructure if improvements in Manchester’s standing are to be sustained.

At present, only a limited number of fields are used for MFA competitions across the parish. Swaby supports the view that football should return to the communities.

“Well, I think, when I look back, there are some things in the past that I think will still work.

“And one of them, in my opinion, is to get the football back into the communities. I think we have lost that sense of community football. And because of that, I think we are losing the interest, the spectator sport, to get communities behind their teams. And I think that will drive more interest in the young people to want to play.”

For former player and now coach Oren Osbourne, the focus should be on establishing strong administrative structures at the club level.

“It has to start from the club structures, you know, so we have to get the structures going. We have to be getting the support that is needed from the association in order to assist; to come in and have seminars, little seminars or have parish-wide seminars with the leadership of the respective clubs,” said Osbourne.

Chambers agrees that there is much work to be done, but believes his youth, broad network and engagement with stakeholders will help him succeed.

“Definitely, that’s something that the parish can advocate for. At the end of the day, it’s not a ‘me’ thing, it’s a community thing. And as a result of that, this is something that we would hope for, whether through the Sports Development Foundation or any other entity or anybody who wants to invest. Because one of the biggest problems that we face is the lack of sponsorship,” said Chambers.

The new president is answering the call with confidence. Whether this combination of youthful energy and community expectation can propel Manchester back to top-flight football remains to be seen, but there is renewed hope that the parish can once again move in that direction.