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Thu, Mar

Typography

After all the adjustments made leading up to the start of the 2011 version of the Pro League season, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dexter Skeene and his committee have succeeded in getting the programme off the ground.

The promotions leading up to the season appeared more like a visit to an entertainment centre for the entire family where the attractions went from bouncy castles to the handout of various products from different companies.

The dancing girls wiggled to the music played by the in-house DJ to the excitement of those whose imagination could have lent some attention to the presentation.

The advertisement leading to the start of the first match at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya certainly caught the fans and the response was positive enough to encourage a reasonably good crowd, most of whom did not give much support to the league last year.

The young and enterprising CEO must have rubbed his hands enthusiastically and claimed success even before the first ball rolled following referee’s Mike Ragoonath’s whistle.

But when the true football supporters sat down to enjoy the game, the balance of 90 minutes brought serious disappointment and sometimes annoyance by the poor quality of play produced by two teams which were filled with regular professional players and a good portion of national players.

This type of performance can only be described as moderate by average standards and abysmal by a required level of football. It may well have burst the bubble of the league stakeholders as they watched the regular inaccuracy of passes, the poor ball collection and absence of much constructive creativity among the players on show.

Personally, I would have allowed for the early season mistakes to be categorised as a “free hit” at the first ball of the tournament but I then recalled that many of these players had been training for the past three months and some actually represented the national team in the first three matches over the past three weeks.

I have never been an advocate of anyone trying to lure fans into the stadium to witness a football match by dangling these carrots before their eyes with the hope of creating interest in a football game.

We all would prefer to see some exciting and qualitative football with exquisite passing sequences, attractive demonstrations of superb individual skill and a glut of aggression when the ball is in the penalty areas.

Being a long way from that quality of play must be as disturbing to Skeene and his marketing team as it is to the fans who were in search of improved performances, even if its just for the upcoming national team World Cup preliminary matches on October 7 and 11.

The second match was apparently of the same standard of play and again, the commodity was of insufficient value to the fans to lift the spirit of the country’s football lovers.

Surely, one expects to see great improvement as the season progresses and hopefully these guys with potential will work harder to justify the die-hard fans, who are anxiously awaiting the dazzling and constructive football which we hope will take us to Brasil in 2014.

I admit that crowd support is essential and vital to the creation of an electrifying display of football, hence the reason why it is mandatory for the league to assist the clubs in any way they can, to bring an improved standard of play.

With all these hundreds of coaches being trained around the country, the only way the success of our football can be judged, is by what we witness among the participating clubs and subsequently, our national teams.

So while the sponsors get their pound of flesh and entertainment lovers get their fill of whatever sideshows are provided, the crowds will stick around only when the quality of our football rises to a satisfactory level.

In a present atmosphere where everyone’s income is being discussed, whether it be among union leaders or budding young players, there is a simple way in which the salary barrier can reach the income bracket of our top cricketers will be to become top players and show the world that you are worthy of a better payday.

The optimism shown by the league does not accurately reflect itself on the field of play and just a look over the shoulder at the repercussions caused by teams dropping out and reducing the numbers, should bring immediate attention to the stakeholders.

Maybe the coaches should face some honest moments of introspection with regards to the devotion of more thought and time of their training methods and seek further knowledge and exposure of the game in order to serve their teams effectively.

It’s not too late to bring some stability and quality to our football but it takes many more work hours than the amount which is utilised by both players and coaching staff.

These comments are designed to offer a wake up call for the sport. It will be folly to see it in any derogatory manner. The next move of the stakeholders must be productive, constructive and professionally approached.