Football Club Promoted To Major League Has Old Challenge
Mt Edgecombe Football Club of Runaway, St Ann, climbed a big mountain to get on top of all the other teams and win the St Ann Division One, thereby earning promotion to the parish’s Major League.
But they are realizing now that they have at least one other major mountain to climb – securing sponsorship that will give the club a good chance. It’s an old issue. They struggled without resources or sponsorship through the season to win the Division One.
Club manager and president Andre Thompson says there are other obstacles too, including access to a field for practice. The Mount Edgecombe playground, set up as part of the housing scheme for which the Housing Agency of Jamaica is responsible, is not fully available to them. Part of it has been taken over for housing and for farming.
The team members are mainly high school footballers and throughout the whole season rarely practiced together. He said some of them played at the Runaway Bay Community Centre field.
But even with that difficulty, Thompson told the North Coast Times the team members are positive and want to make a good showing at the Major League to be able to fight through to the Primer League, as Lime Hall FC have recently done. Mt Pleasant FC, only a few miles away from Mt Edgecombe, are the defending champions in the Jamaica Premier League.
The Mt Edgecombe team that beat Dry Harbour in the finals was captained by Rafay Daley. Player-coach was Shawn Baxter. Major League teams are required to have a certified coach. They have identified a certified coach who is willing to make sacrifices for the talented team but they must be able to offer a stipend at least. They have no funds to do that.
“When we had matches we couldn’t even travel together and the guys had to pay their own taxi fares,” Thomson told North Coast Times. He wants Mt Edgecombe to take a better footing this season and be able to provide bibs, jerseys, and other gear for the team members.
He says they have reached out to members of the business community and have got no assistance. “We write letters and go around but nothing,” the manager says.
He said they are to make efforts to reach out to MP Krystal Lee.
Mr Thompson says the team members are appealing for assistance and can do so much better with a little help. If you want to assist Mount Edgecombe in any way, you may contact Secretary Velma Thomas at 876-376-4000
