INSPORTS Officers for Clarendon, Joseph Gunter and Kevin Morrison, have described the Clarendon leg of the All-Island Community Football Championship as a major success.

The officers said all the parties involved have warmly embraced the competition — claiming it as “theirs”.

“All the participants, like the elders from the Master’s League, say that this is their competition. The youngsters who are playing… for the first time say that this is their competition. The idle youths who it was intended for in the first place — dem say this is their competition”, emphasised Gunter.

“Almost everybody claim it, so that’s why we know it’s creating a good impact”, he added.

The officers say the contest has been void of violence, with only the usual cautions during games and the crowd support has been overwhelming, claiming it has even brought out Members of Parliament.

“In every community that these teams come from they have a broad base support and you can identify it by the amount of women that turn up at the matches”, said Gunter.

“They have been very enthusiastic about it. Not even the Major League or the Division One teams get this amount of support”, Gunter added.

“I can remember going to a game up by Mocho and the crowd that was there was huge. I could count at least 500 persons. I also went to a game at Turners in Chapelton and even Mr Laurie Broderick, the MP for Northern Clarendon, was there supporting the two teams from his constituency”, Morrison said.

Morrison also had high remarks for the quality of talent that the competition has unearthed.

“There are quite a few players in the competition that I have seen — not necessarily that they can move up to the Premier League — that can actually make the transition to the Super League, so the quality is good”, remarked Morrison, who is also a FIFA referee.

The competition will now move into the quarter-final stage, which will start today. The line-up will see Youths United versus Rexford United at Buckner and Eagles versus White Chapel at Four Paths Community Centre.

Tomorrow it’s Lionel Town versus Race Track at New Bowens and Cuba versus Toll Gate at Four Path Community Centre.

Action on both days will start at 3:00 pm.