The 2013 Red Stripe Premier League kicks off next Sunday and today the Jamaica Observer begins its profile of the 12 participating teams. We begin with the Clarendon-based duo of Sporting Central Academy and Humble Lion.
CLARENDON, Jamaica — That Sporting Central Academy will enter the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season with a new head coach isn’t much of a news item.They’ve pretty much started each of the last three seasons with a new man at the helm.That they’ll unleash a swarm of baby-faced players in the new-look 12-team league is not a headline grabber, either. That’s been their philosophy since the club was first formed 13 years ago.But the decision to switch home venue from Brancourt to the neighbouring and equally lush Juici Patties Park is sure to generate some interest. It’s a clear statement of intent from the management team to strengthen ties with corporate Jamaica.The move, they reckon, will further enhance the football product on offer at the south-west Clarendon club.Juici Patties Park, located opposite to Brancourt, sits on the premises of the Juici Patties headquarters in Clarendon Park. It was opened two seasons ago, but has hosted only schoolboy games, mainly serving as a second home ground for Glenmuir High.However, the site, which boasts a somewhat similar landscape to Brancourt, has now been upgraded to meet Premier League regulations, with the addition of a drink-inclusive mound expected to make the match day experience much more interactive for the fans.“Juici Patties has been a silent partner for quite a while. What we are doing now is trying to ensure that our partners get as much leverage from the relationship as us,” general manager Ray Porter told the Jamaica Observer, noting that “the security of the venue will allow us to collect more revenue at the gate. Plus we are now able to provide better support facilities for our patrons”.A change of venue is not the only new development at Sporting. The promised members and partnership programme will also be rolled out for the new season.“Memberships are available for as low as $6,000 and as high as $60,000, with each package offering a variety of benefits,” Porter added.With these administrative developments at the forefront, the promotion of Merron Gordon from interim to head coach has almost gone unnoticed.Gordon, of Lennon High fame, started last season in charge of the Under-21 team but ended the campaign as caretaker of the senior team after previous coach Lenworth Hyde Snr, who had earlier replaced the sacked Nigel Stewart, parted ways with the club.Considered one of the more promising young coaches in the country, Gordon comes to the job with a decent CV, having led Lennon High to the 2010 daCosta Cup final and five successive all-island schoolgirl titles.While taking charge of a premiership club is a huge step up from life at the high school level, his job at Sporting might be made easier by the fact that a number of the players in the squad came through the youth set-up at Lennon. Given that he has been at Sporting for quite a while, the other players will also know him well.However, two such players who won’t be a part of Gordon’s squad are Levaughn Williams, who joined Portmore United, and Keith Kelly. This should not be much of a loss, however. There are more than enough players – which include new goalkeeper Levon Williams, among others – at the club to fill the void.And naturally, with these new faces in the dressing room, a new home ground and a renewed sponsorship drive, bigger things will be expected of Sporting on the field this term.But, confident in his abilities to lead the club into a new frontier, Gordon has embraced the challenge of bettering last season’s 10th place finish wholeheartedly. “My (aim) is not to place in the top six but to compete for the title; to bring home some trophies,” he recently told the media.Work being done on Sporting Central’s new home ground, the Juici Patties Park, in Clarendon Park. (PHOTO: OSHANE TOBIAS)View the original article here
Sporting Central enter new frontier at Juici Patties Park
