BSA and NSC in stand-off over user fees

The Barrouallie Sports Association (BSA) and the National Sports Council (NSC) may be heading for a showdown over user fees for the Keartons Playing Field for the duration of the 2016 Barrouallie Football League.

The NSC’s manager Jomadean May, in a letter to the president of the BSA Lorson Lewis,{{more}} dated August 5, 2016, outlined the conditions of hosting the 2016 edition of the league,which is set to run from August 7 to October 30, 2016.

Among the conditions, May wrote: “That you pay a user fee of $350 for the tournament…. This fee must be paid within one week’s time by Friday August 12, 2016 (failure to comply will result in suspension of the competition).”

But Lewis confirmed to SEARCHLIGHT on Sunday that his organization was not prepared to pay the user fees, as the NSC could not guarantee them the timely cutting of the field, among other issues.

“Why should we be paying using fees and still have to clean the facility…? We are not going to pay the fees until we can sit again with the council and work out the conditions,” Lewis said.

The BSA president also maintained that it was the BSA who had to step in and source lawn mowers to cut the playing field for Sunday’s opening, after the equipment sent from the council had malfunctioned.

“In fact, we are going to send the council a bill for $500, for the work done on the facility by the BSA to get the field ready for the league’s opening on Sunday,” Lewis told SEARCHLIGHT on Monday.

Uncertainty over the start of the league and the saga which was building were made public when a member of the local constabulary, attached to the Barrouallie Police Station, served Lewis with correspondence from May and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, RSVG Police Force.

In May’s letter to the COP, also dated August 5, 2016, May stated, “I am writing you to inform you that the National Sports Council has not given permission to the Barrouallie Sports Association (BSA) to use the Keartons Playing Field to host their football tournament….This is due to the BSA’s unwillingness to comply with the payment of user fees to the Council.”

May’s letter continued, “The Council met on Wednesday, 3rd August 2016 with the president of the BSA and members of the Barrouallie Area Management Sports Association who represents the Council in the community….The Council’s policies are protected by the laws of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Hence, the Council is seeking your humble services to ensure that our policies are respected and that the BSA will not be allowed to use the facility until a mutual agreement is reached and respected.”

Lewis confirmed that May’s letter to the COP caused a delay in the marking of the field.

He concluded that advice was sought from a “mediator”, which was heeded, hence the field preparations were carried out, which facilitated the league’s start on Sunday.(RT)