Granville Football Club got off to a great start in their effort to qualify for the Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF’s) National Premier League after edging Police National in the playoffs on Sunday.

Granville earned the right to represent western Jamaica in the four-team play-off, after winning the Western Confederation Super League competition just under two weeks ago, beating Hanover’s Montpelier in the finals.

Sunday’s win is the start of the final hurdle in what will be the culmination of the dreams of many people associated with the team and will start yet another chapter in the annals of St James football. Hopefully, this chapter will be longer than the ones written by Seaview and African United, and will eventually match that of the likes of Seba United, Wadadah and Violet Kickers.

That is to come, however, and far in the future. What is more important in the here and now is to get to the promised land of Premier League football. Many teams have started the elimination series only to fade at the end – teams like Negril last season. Granville would do well to take each game as they come and not look too far into the future.

But that is easier said than done, especially for a community as ‘football mad’ as Granville, and hungry for some positive news about their community that has been battered in the past few years by violence and negativity.

Despite their dominance of the Western Confederation this year – with the only bump in the road being their loss in the first leg of the finals to Montpelier – the next step will be much more difficult than the last. History has proven that it takes more than skills on the field to make it to the Premier League, and stay there.

Having not seen any of the other three teams, any attempt at predictions would be premature and unfair to all concerned. Using recent history as a yardstick, however, it would be safe to say Granville has better than a 50/50 chance of replacing relegated Wadadah in the Premier League next season.

If they do get through the play-offs, this is when the work will get more difficult as the first thing the club’s administration must do is to find players who will give them a chance at being competitive. Having taken a hard look at the skill level of the team and what it takes to compete in the Premier League, this team would not cut it.

One of the mistakes the coaching staff would also have to avoid is the wholesale signing of players from Wadadah or players who have failed to make the grade in previous seasons. And speaking of coaches, who would be in charge of the team given the very strict mandates set out by the JFF?

Coach Tracey Reid, who is bidding to be the first female to coach in the Premier League, has said she is willing to do whatever it takes to qualify herself, but time may be against her given the fact that registration will be completed by mid-August.