|

Sport

Sluggish ticket sales thwart Boyz, Kenya game

SEAN WILLIAMS

Tuesday, August 21, 2012



A proposed friendly international between Jamaica's senior Reggae Boyz and Kenya slated for Connecticut on Saturday has been cancelled.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) in a statement issued yesterday said the promoter of the event cited sluggish ticket sales for the 40,000-capacity Rentschler field located in the state capital of Hartford.

"The promoter of the match, Swen Labels International, has advised that the match is being cancelled because of poor ticket sales," said a two-paragraph release from the JFF.

It is said sufficient tickets have not been sold to cover stadium and other expenses and based on the pace of sales and response from the buying public, there is little hope of a timely turnaround in fortunes.

Meanwhile, in an Associated Press (AP) report, Samuel Sampson, a spokesman for Singapore-based promoter Ricky Swen and his company, Swen Labels International, says only 120 tickets were sold for the match.

It's the second time this summer Swen has cancelled a friendly at the stadium. A planned July 28 match between Liberia and Jamaica was called off after Swen failed to secure agreements from both teams and the US Soccer Federation, the AP report added.

Kenya, it was said, were brought in as a replacement and the match rescheduled.

Sampson says his group is still talking to both teams to see if they can reschedule the match for another date.

The match — which was to be played outside of the official FIFA calendar — was deemed to be significant in Jamaica's overall technical programme and would have provided a mostly local-based team the opportunity to strut their stuff in an "overseas environment".

Over a week a go, JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell underlined the importance of the match, claiming it would have also given the coaching staff another opportunity to assess emerging talent.

"Every international game is important as it keeps the wheels of the technical programme turning. This match, in particular, will give our local players a chance to showcase their skills, plus the coaching staff will have an opportunity to look at them in an overseas environment," Burrell said then.

The game was to closely follow last Wednesday's friendly against EL Salvador at the RKF Stadium in Washington, where the Reggae Boyz came out 2-0 winners, paced by a well-taken brace from Luton Shelton.



POST A COMMENT

HOUSE RULES

 

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy



comments powered by Disqus

Strong Jamaican contingent for today’s Adidas Grand Prix meet

 

Tappa pleased - Showers praise on Boyz after 0-0 result...

 

Moncrieffe too much for Holmes

 

Good, but not good enough for Spurs — AVB

 

WICB announces Confident Group as team sponsor

 

Right decision to head home — Tappa

 

Clash of the Germans

 

Thompson opens Seafreight National Amateur Golf Champs with a bang

 

Junior Squash champs shine at Hi-Lyte Tourney

 

Jamalco on top in Berger Paints Super League netball

 

UEFA instructor for JFF/Advanced Level II coaching course

 

Belgium Blockers remain unbeaten

 

Kingston Bookshop cop One-Day Challenge trophy

 

PHOTO: Malouda's here for CL Final

 

Hover Craft to land Lotto Classic

 

PHOTO: JPS pulls plug on UWI

 

President reports progress on reforming CONCACAF

 

Timeforarms lands 'Bob' Mayall feature

 

Sreesanth denies spot-fixing in Indian T20 case

 

Ramdin says T20s won't hamper WI's chances

 

Today's Cartoon