When more becomes less

The football season is well and truly on, and the plate is overflowing, with main courses and several varieties of side dishes to partake of.

Throughout the length and breadth of St Vincent and the Grenadines, football competitions are ongoing.{{more}} It is widely agreed that such competitions serve more than the intent and purpose, and are social release valves, as well as economic opportunities for the various communities, as persons use the opportunity to ply trade in beverages and other goodies.

Let us, however, look at what is key. Can we say that what is served up at the various leagues is palatable and fit for consumption? Are we seeing the sort of development, tactically and technically, of players, coaches and management? Unfortunately, any sincere individual will respond in the negative. Therefore, what we are having is a lot of football, but less, by the way of advancement in the standard of play.

And, the upcoming national club championships and the inter-secondary schools’ competitions should bear testimony to the state of affairs.

This is not to say that there will not be some brilliant plays and moments to shout about, but the structures are not in place for sustained growth in our footballing standards.

The present set-up is the root cause of such an unchartered course, as things are being left to chance.

It has been the pledge of the current executive to have football aplenty played here in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and to bring the game to the people, and this has been achieved with some measure of success.

However, the overarching drawback is that this has been achieved to the detriment of the sport.

We have gone back to square one, as it is a free fall, with players being allowed to participate in almost every league that is in progress.

It burns the ears daily to hear the same players (many of them national players) scoring in this league and that league, for different football outfits, at least three times per week.

Surely, this operation some years ago, necessitated the one player-one team/club ruling; but things have gone awry, as it is “do wey yo like”.

Whilst the buck stops with the executive members of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation, the organisers of the various leagues are the ones who should implement the rule and police it to the fullest.

But many more are concerned with protecting their space, their turf, to maintain the status and popularity of their leagues, forgetting the bigger picture.

It is not only the players who get little time to recover and hone their skills to their optimum, but the few match officials are called upon to be in the middle day in day out.

Such happenings cannot augur well for the overall development of the sport, as very little time for self-evaluation is afforded.

The onus, though, is on the Venold Coombs led executive to be more forceful and take firmer control of the rudderless situation, as things are simply careening to an undetermined destination.

This rescue act must take place soonest, as we can find ourselves in a serious predicament with the parent body.

The executive of the SVGFF, through CONCACAF and FIFA, have invested in delivering several technical development courses for the past two years, all aimed at taking our football to the next level. Although this goal is still attainable, several measures have to be instituted.

Among them is taking a firm grip on the administration of football, all levels; hence, the current executive of the SVGFF has to establish itself as the authoritative body for the sport.

This will also mean taking on a professional outlook, towards all facets of its operations; the setting of targets and devising pathways towards their achievement.

But, as a prerequisite for such an attainment, there has to come from within, first of all, the executive members, that willingness carry the sport forward, irrespective of their varied viewpoints.