BY OSHANE TOBIAS OBSERVER WRITER
Thursday, January 30, 2014
MAY PEN, Clarendon — In two of the last three seasons, the Clarendon Captain’s Bakery Major League has been won by a newcomer Spartan Athletic in 2010-11 and Four Paths FC in 2011-12.
Jamalco broke the trend last season when they won ahead of Comfort, another promoted team.
This season — especially with the format of the competition being changed from a round-robin league structure to a cup competition: complete with a preliminary round, semi-final and final — the newcomers are looking to rekindle their championship mettle.
One such club is Famous FC, based in the Mineral Heights area.
But what many fans here don’t readily know about Famous is that they are not a promoted team from the parish’s Division One competition. They are actually a bona fide Major League team, transferred from the St Ann Football Association.
The club’s owners, Mark and Leisa Mitchell, a husband and wife team, were living in St Ann when the team was formed “about eight years ago”. The decision to move here was made only after their daughter passed her recent Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) for Clarendon College, her father’s alma mater.
Their son, who captains the Famous team, which is coached by Mitchell, was earlier transferred to Vere Technical High School.
Initially, the Mitchells had planned to keep the team in St Ann, but, as Mrs Mitchell explained, travelling from Clarendon to St Ann for games — sometimes twice per week — was proving costly.
“It just wasn’t feasible,” she told the Jamaica Observer. “It was just too expensive. But rather than (allowing the team to go under) we decided it was better to get it transferred.
“We are just a family that loves sports,” she added. “Right now, a number of the players on the team, who are from St Ann, are now living at our house.” Those players, she noted, are a fair blend of schoolboys from Vere and Denbigh High. “The oldest player on the team is 29,” she shared.
Now settled in their new parish, Mrs Mitchell said their number one aim is to take Famous FC “to the Premier League and beyond”.
That’s why they are taking aim at this season’s Major League title, which offers the winner a place in the South Central Confederation “Super Eight” play-off.
Alas, Famous haven’t made the best of starts to life in their new league. After making their debut with a 0-0 draw against former champions Original Hazard last week Monday, the newcomers were thrashed 3-0 by defending champions Jamalco at the Wembley Sports and Excellence Centre on Saturday.
They now occupy fourth place in Zone One on one point.
But no need to worry; they aren’t the only team yet to get off the mark. In fact, five other clubs are yet to win a game, including the disappointing Four Paths.
Champions of two seasons ago, the south-west Clarendon side opened their account with a scrappy 0-0 result against Comfort, before suffering a 3-2 home defeat to York Town — whose previous victory has since been awarded to Milk River after using an ineligible player in their January 20 fixture.
Four Paths, who are expected to challenge for the title, now sit bottom of Zone Two, which is being led by Milk River (four points) following their nil-all stalemate with Comfort (two) on Monday.
Results: Monymusk 0-1 Kemps Hill, Treadlight 2-1 Woodhall, Jamalco 3-0 Famous, Four Paths 2-3 York Town, New Bowens 2-0 Original Hazard, Comfort 0-0 Milk River.
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Famous FC find new home in Clarendon
