KINGSTON Jamaica, February 15th 2011 - The quality of football being played at the Masters level has improved substantially, says Ian McNaughton, President of the Kingston and St. Andrew Masters Football League Association (KSAMLA).
That quality has resulted in terms of increasingly competitive matches, which are drawing large numbers of spectators, Mr. McNaughton said. He was speaking at the Masters League annual awards presentation, held at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) auditorium in St. Andrew on Thursday, February 10.
“The League was excellent in 2010,” he told the enthusiastic audience of footballers at the PCJ auditorium. He said the 150 games played with 400 goals scored over the four months of the football season was a significant achievement for the KSAMLA players and administrators.
“We got good crowds,” Mr. McNaughton stated. The increase in community support has grown to the level where audience support is now similar to matches for younger players in other leagues.
One factor is that there has been an influx of younger players in the KSAMLA teams, which has coincided with an overall improvement in the fitness level of players, he pointed out. The average age of players in the League is now 43 years.
The 2010 KSAMLA top performers were Constant Spring and Real Mona clubs, which scored the most goals, with 31 goals, he said. Barbican conceded the least, with just 5 goals scored against them.
Barbican Football Club emerged as the overall League Champions, with its manager Chris James collecting awards both as the Manager and Coach of the year. Mr. McNaughton pointed out that, “The saying that offense wins matches and defense wins championships is true.”
“Barbican has done the masters league proud,” declared Rudolph Speid, President of the Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association. “It takes more than good football players who win championships, and Chris James was important in their victory.”
Over the 25 years of the Masters league, Barbican has been the most successful team having been champions seven times in a row. Mr. Speid indicated that, “They re at the level that all teams have to aim for.”
The competitiveness of the Masters League has a positive impact on the overall development of club football, the KSAFA President said. Many younger players train with the more mature KSAMLA players and this helps their behavioral development.
“We at KSAFA are proud to have the Masters League as an affiliate Association because of the values being propagated, Mr. Speid told the upbeat audience of footballers. “It has a positive impact on the lives of players and the skills filter down into KASAFA players and administrators.”
Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) had supported the League because of the good work that it was doing, said Wesley Scott, its Customer Service and Mortgage Development Advisor. “Hard work, perseverance and passion were evident in most players as they played game after game during the past season.”
“Team sports can assist players to develop valuable qualities such as sportsmanship, teamwork and discipline,” Mr. Scott asserted in his address. “All of these traits can guide football players in their approach to life and assist them in achieving success.”
Jamaica News