 |
|
It
started here... |
The
Kingston & St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) was founded
on Sunday, April 25, 1965 at a specially convened Congress at The
National Stadium.
The establishment
of the KSAFA was a direct response to the requirement set out in
the draft Constitution of its parent body, the Jamaica Football
Association (JFF). Each of the fourteen (14) parishes in the island
of Jamaica was required to constitutionalize itself in preparation
for the transformation of the Jamaica Football Association (JFA)
to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) at a specially convened
meeting.
KSAFA
was assigned the responsibility for controlling, monitoring and/or
organizing football in the two (2) Corporate Area parishes
of Kingston and St. Andrew called KSAFA CONFEDERATION.
In the earlier
years, 1965-1973, the KSAFA administration ran Division I - III
Competitions as well as the Senior KO for Division I teams and the
Junior KO for Division II and III teams.
The leadership
of the association was largely directed by cricket clubs or non-specialist
football clubs such as Melbourne, Lucas, Kingston & YMCA. The
election of Ralph Bardowell, Real Mona FC, towards the latter part
of the period represented the beginning of the end of the domination
by the traditional Cricket Clubs. Dubbed a "nice guy", Bardowell
vacillated in making the transition. His successor, Locksley Comrie,
Boys' Town FC, marked the beginning of the shift to community based
specialist football clubs.
Henry Miller
 |
|
Henry Miller |
After being
off the scene for some time, former JFA official , Henry Miller
was elected the first President of KSAFA at the inaugural Congress.
The former Jamaica College and National football representative,
led a Council which included Conrad Bell (YMCA) - 1st Vice President;
Tino Barovier (Kingston Club) - 2nd Vice President; Glen Neil Dyer
- Honorary Secretary and Barry Cross (Police National) - Honorable
Treasurer. Others elected as KSAFA's Delegates to the upcoming JFF
Congress were: George Prescod (Lucas), Derrick Tomkinson (Liguanea),
Lloyd Taylor (KSAC), Lester Richards (YMCA), George Abrahams (YMCA).
The inaugural
KSAFA Congress clamoured for changes in the JFF's recently drafted
constitution which entitled KSAFA 10 votes. The KSAFA Affiliates
asked its Executive to draft a resolution to be presented at the
meeting of the Federation set for Mandeville, May 31, 1965. Such
a resolution should seek to reflect KSAFA's proposal that the number
of votes allocated to each parish should be based on the level of
development of their representative Division I Competition. The
Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the JFF, Norman Hill, who
was at the KSAFA Congress, supported KSAFA and said he will be seeking
a reconsideration at the next meeting of the JFF.
At the first
JFF inaugural Congress, the Rural Parishes swept eleven (11) of
the thirteen (13) positions on the Executive. Dr. Ron Gordon of
Manchester defeated Normal Hill to become the 1st President of the
JFF. KSAFA President Henry Miller was defeated 41 - 17 by one of
his own delegates, George Abrahams, for the post of 1st Vice President.
Thereafter, KSAFA declined nomination for all other posts.
One of the task
of the Henry Miller administration was to integrate the KSAFA teams
who had hitherto participated in and formed the majority of teams
in the Jamaica Football Association Division I Competition. Eight
(8) Division I teams vied for the newly created Arthur McKenzie
trophy, named in honor of Arthur McKenzie, the outstanding St. George's
College Old Boys' and Life Member of the JFA (1962). In September
of 1965, a KSAFA eleven defeated Excelsior of Haiti 11-0 in an international
friendly.
George Prescod,
of Lucas, described Henry Miller as a "Jamaica White" of
upper middle class background but "very down to earth".
His tenure lasted for one (1) year.
L.H.
"Bunny" McLean
 |
|
L.H. "Bunny" McLean |
Attorney-At-Law,
L.H. "Bunny" McLean was elected the 2nd President of KSAFA
after staving off a challenge from Arthur McKenzie of St. Georges's
College Old Boys. Tino Barovier moved from 2nd Vice President to
1st Vice President whilst Glen Neil Dwyer and Barry Cross retained
the post of Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer respectively.
The former Excelsior
Manning Cup player and National representative, Bunny McLean, brought
to KSAFA his experience after serving in various Executive capacities
in football. The most recent of these was being 2nd Vice President, JFA 1964/65.
One of the decisions
of the Bunny McLean led administration was to increase the number
of teams in the Division I League from eight (8) to eleven (11).
The 1966/67 Competition thus comprised: Railway, Cavalier, Liguanea,
Real Mona, Jamaica Regiment, Lucas, Kingston, YMCA, Boys' Town,
Santos and St. George's Old Boys.
Frank Brown,
of Railway, was voted the Diamond Mineral Footballer of the year
1966/67.
During his tenure,
McLean also sought to twin the clubs with the communities from which
they operated as well as to open KSAFA meetings to the Press. Both
proposals met with resistance from the Executive.
The Bunny McLean
administration lasted for one year. Thereafter, McLean spent the
next seven (7) years (1967- 1973) as President of the Minor League
Football Association. Both the Minor League FA and KSAFA conferred
on him the honour of Life Member.
Benvenuto Cecil "Tino" Barovier
 |
|
Benvenuto 'Tino' Barovier |
Broadcasting
& Sales Executive, Benvenuto Cecil "Tino" Barovier,
was elected unopposed at the 3rd Congress of KSAFA 1967/68. The
Italian born Tino brought to the Executive a wealth of experience
in football administration. The former St. George's College Manning
Cup player, was elected Assistant Secretary of the JFA in 1960 and
moved to the post of Secretary in 1962. He is considered the architect
of the JFF's Constitution in 1965 and worked tirelessly with the
organization to ensure it's international development and recognition.
No major structural changes occurred during Barovier's administration.
At the 4th Annual General Meeting of May 15, 1969, amendments were
made to the KSAFA Constitution.
After demitting
office, Tino went on to become president of the JFF in 1973. Both
the JFF and KSAFA conferred on him the honour of Life Member in
1975 and 1992 respectively. Boys' Town and Santos dominated the
Division I League and Division II League during the period. In 1969/70
Boys' Town gained their first lien on the Arthur McKenzie Trophy,
and the Club's Theophilus "Toto" Branch emerged as the
League's top scorer.
Ralph Bardowell
 |
|
Ralph Bardowell (in referee uniform)
prseident of KSAFA 1971/1972.
(Photo: Provided by
The Jamaica Gleaner Company) |
Garment manufacturer
and dry goods merchant, Ralph Bardowell attended the 1971//72 Congress
as the Real Mona representative and was elected the 4th President
of KSAFA. Bardowell was more known for his contribution to officiating.
He was President of the Jamaica Football Referees' Association (JFRA)
and one of the first Jamaicans to be appointed FIFA Referee. His
most notable match was Jamaica vs Nautico of Brazil in 1971. He was also
of cricket fame and, in 1940, shared in many record opening partnership
with former West Indies cricketer, Allan Rae, whilst representing Wolmers Boy's School in the Sunlight Cup. Ralph Bardowell had a
new Secretary of the Association in the personality of Locksley
Comrie , Boy's Town FC. Comrie agitated for the establishment of
an office for the KSAFA.
The Ralph Bardowell
administration was racked with internal differences, between Bardowell
and the younger members, over the pace direction of the Association's
development. His Secretary favored the movement towards community
based football and playing of more games on home ground, whilst
other members of the leadership favored retention of the status
quo. Bardowell often threatened to resign.
Real Mona captured
the Division I Title to gain their first lien on the Authur McKenzie
Trophy 1971/72. They were assisted by the cross over of outstanding players of the ilk as Allan "Skill"
Cole, Lenford & Leaford Hardie, Leonard "Chicken" Mason and
Devon Jeffery from Santos FC to their club.
Lockslie Comrie
 |
|
Lockslie Comrie |
Civil Engineer,
Lockslie Comrie, defeated the reluctant Ralph Bardowell to ascend
to the Presidency at the 1972/73 Congress. It marked the first time
in the Association's history that the President was elected from
an inner city club - Boys' Town. With the exception of the experienced
Honorary Treasurer, Barry Cross, the Executive was a concentration
of young minds. Vice Presidents were Trevor "Jumpy" Harris
and Vaughn "Bunny" Goodison.
The "Fire
Band" President sought to bring order to the competition by
reducing the number of postponements and frequency of Referees'
absence from matches. His administration also worked with the Sports
Development Commission in the communities, and revived Primary School
Football Competition. He was a strong advocate for the community
development and recognition of players. Under his administration
many football matches took place on home grounds as opposed to the
National Stadium.
At the Presentation
of Awards Ceremony held at Desnoes & Geddes, the support garnered
from the public enabled the Treasurer to distribute $2,867.00 to
participating Clubs.
Other awards
were:
-
Junior KO - Tivoli
Gardens ;
-
Division III - Ujaama;
-
Division II - Tivoli
Gardens
-
Senior KO - Real Mona
;
-
Division I - Boys' Town ;
-
Business Home - Desnoes
& Geddes
(Henry Largie Trophy).
After leaving
the KSAFA, Comrie went on to become 1st Vice President of the JFF
in 1973 and President in 1975. He played a leading role in the
formation of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
Neville Glanville
 |
|
Neville Glanville |
Neville Glanville
administration marked a new era in football development for the
KSAFA Confederation. The Congress of 1973/74 unanimously adopted
the resolution to revamp the existing structure and to adopt the
philosophy of community based football clubs.
The traditional
domination of KSAFA leadership by representatives from cricket clubs
gave way to personnel committed to community based specialist football
clubs. Other members of the Executive were:
- Russel Bell - 1st Vice
President;
- Dennis Smith - Secretary;
- Keith Rhodd - Councillor;
- Audley
Brandt - Councillor;
- Joseph Sanguinette - Treasurer.
Vice President,
Russell Bell, writing in "KSAFA Plans New Football Deal"
sums up the new philosophy.
"With the
clear understanding that it is illogical to promote or encourage
activities which in reality act against the true development of
the people; and with the forceful vision that it is essential that
we afford the youth a progressively organized program, we are forced
to promote football on a community basis."
Under the new
scheme, the Division I, II and III structures were revamped and
replaced by a single League - the Major League.
The 1973/74
inaugural Major League brought out thousands of spectators to the
sport. Media coverage was extensive as was the debate concerning
the merit of the new look competition. The Competition kicked off
on September 22, 1973, and some 32 goals were scored. Nascimento
defeated National Reserve 7-0, Golden Aces swamped Hill Stars 8-0,
Boys' Town scored a record 14-0 over Great West and Real Mona edged
UWI 2-1. Boy's Town took the Arthur McKenzie trophy with 8-0 victory
over Nascimento, in the final, to pocket $717. The Champion defeated
a Bermuda National team 2-1 in a thrilling encounter at the National
Stadium on 23rd April, 1974.
The Glanville
led administration continued to excite the public's interest in
the second year of the Competition, 1974/5. Cavalier FC returned
to the fold and captured the title defeating Harbour View 1-0. Neville
Oxford was voted MVP, and $10,000 was distributed to the 25 participating
teams. The council conducted a coaching seminar at Lyssons, St.
Thomas.
The Administration
put out its second publication "10 years of balling" which
summarized the 1974-75 season and took a critical look at National
Football Development. Hugh Buchanan replaced Dennis Smith as Secretary
and was shortly succeeded by Marcia Bryan.
The KSAFA Congress
of 1975/76 resolved to challenge the Tino Barovier leadership at
the biennial Congress of the Jamaica Football Federation scheduled
for September 16, 1975 at the Port Antonio Town Hall.
Among the issues
of concerns were:
-
The JFF's
inability to organize meaningful national level competitions
-
The failure of the National Premier League 1974/75 season
-
Lack of useful assistance being given to the Parish Associations
-
Acquiring a national coach without the necessary framework or
infrastructure for him to work with.
At the JFF's
Congress, Barovier did not stand for re-election and Glanville challenged
Lockslie Comrie and was defeated 45-22. Glanville was also defeated
for the post of 1st Vice president by St. Elizabeth's Neville Lewis.
National Club
Champion, Santos FC, entered the Major League for the first time
in the 1975/76 season. There was a press blackout on the competition
and KSAFA published its own newsletter called Major League News.
Boys' Town defeated Tivoli Gardens 4-3 to gain their second lien
on the Major League. Ali McNab finished the season as top goal scorer
with 18 goals.
Glanville demitted
office at the end of the 1975/76 season. He went on to become President
of the Trelawny FA 1976/77. In 1992 he was made Honorary Life Member
of KSAFA.
David 'Billy' Marston
 |
|
David 'Billy' Marston |
Bank of Jamaica
Executive, former St. George's College Manning Cup & Real
Mona player, David 'Billy' Marston , was elected unopposed at the 1976/77
Congress. He was the second Real Mona representative to be elected
to the Corporate area's top post. Marston was ably assisted by Vice
Presidents Russell Bell, Carvel Stewart and Treasurer Alfred Simms.
The 1976/77
season found the Marston administration drawn into several controversies:
-
Santos FC
was expelled from the League following a special General Meeting
to resolve the Club's bonafide as a community based Club. The
newly formed Franklyn/Vineyard Town FC claimed the community which
Santos alleged to represent.
-
Boy's Town,
who historically played in Zone 3, was switched to Zone 4 to play
alongside Pembroke Hall, Golden Aces, Duhaney Park and Great West
in a move to diffuse political tension.
-
The Major
League Finals between Boy's Town and Arnett was delayed, for 65
minutes, following clash of colors. Each side turned up in red
jersey and the matter was only resolved when both teams agreed
to play in different colors for each half.
-
The Council
had to grapple with crowd invasion of field and violence at home
grounds.
Arnett Gardens
took the title when they stopped Boy's Town 2-0. George 'Bald Head"
Henry was voted MVP 1976/77.
Carlton Barclay
 |
|
Carlton Barclay |
Chartered Accountant & Corporate
Fundraiser of Duhaney Park FC, Carlton Barclay was elected the 11th
President of the KSAFA at the Association’s 37th Congress
held in October 2002 at the Sports Club of the Gleaner Co Ltd. The
Financial Controller of Jamaica National Building Society (JN), had
the full backing of his employer, and armed with this endorsement,
swept the Congress by beating back the Ali McNab slate with the
promise of cutting edge technology and a paradigm shift ably crafted
by his ally Orville Marshall the then President of Duhaney Park FC.
The Barclay Council comprised:
- Carlton Barclay –President;
- Patrick Roberts-1st Vice-
President;
- Carlton Dennis-2nd Vice
President;
- Orville Marshall-General
Secretary;
- Gregory A. Simms-Assistant
General Secretary;
- Rudolph Speid-Treasurer;
- Brian Rose –Assistant
Treasurer;
- Margaret Sutherland
–Administrator
Affiliate members :
Business House; JISA-Winston
Keyes; Masters League-Arnold McDonald; Referees Group- Peter
Prendergast; Whole Life –vacant.
The Carlton Barclay administration
served a little over year as he shortly resigned due to pressure of
work as well as the twin responsibilities of President of KSAFA and
Treasurer of the Jamaica Football Federation. By March 2004 he
handed over the Presidency to Orville Marshall who was elected by
acclaim by the KSAFA Council as per the constitution.
During his tenure, the Carlton
Barclay administration achieved the following:
-
Securing of JN sponsorship for all KSAFA senior competitions
-
Introduction of e-mailing as a communication tool.
-
Established a new KSAFA website as a replacement of the defunct
KSAFA –Fuxito one.
-
Introduced in–house lamination of IDs thus saving the organization
significant sum of money and making the registration process more
efficient.
-
Initiated the proposal that clubs should not pay referee fees,
instead these should be paid from sponsorship funds.
-
Forged
a successful KSAFA alliance with the Creston Boxill led slate that
successful challenged and overcome the autocratic Horace Burrell
led administration at the JFF Congress held at Star Fish Resort in
November 2003
Barclay was elected Treasurer and
Patrick Roberts 3rd Vice- President in the new JFF administration.
Orville Marshall
 |
|
Orville Marshall
|
Business Manager and IT Specialist
Consultant, Orville Marshall was ratified as the 12th
President at a specially convened meeting of KSAFA Affiliates in
March 2004. Starting in football administration at Park Rovers FC in
1997 , and wearing many hats such as the President of Duhaney Park
FC, Vice President of Park Rovers FC as well as Public Relations
Officer of the Masters League, Marshall took over the reigns of
KSAFA mid–stream; a virtual ‘night watchman’.
Marshall continued with the same
Council members as under Carlton Barclay with the exception of
Assistant Secretary Gregory Simms whose position remained vacant for
the remainder of his administration.
His ascendancy to the leadership
was strengthened by his apprenticeship as former General Secretary
of KSAFA as well as a serving as a JFF Board member. He immediately
moved to Chairman of the KSAFA Confederation and a Member of the JFF
Management Committee.
He pointed to the following
achievements of his administration:
-
Establishment of “nomination” and “elections” as separate
activities.
-
Successfully completed a constitutional reform process.
-
Re-organised
refereeing in KSAFA and spearheaded the revitalization of KSAFA
Referees ‘ Group.
-
Added
three new groups and made them functional and productive.
-
Youth
Development.
-
Constitutional Reform
-
Infrastructure Task Force
-
Revitalised the Technical Committee.
-
Restructured the Finance Committee adding a Marketing component.
|