Cheers galore for Tivoli at DPL awards ceremony
TIVOLI Gardens were the toast of the Digicel Premier League (DPL) awards ceremony, walking away with a plethora of prizes at the Courtleigh Auditorium on Thursday night.
Tivoli Gardens collected their $2.5- million winning prize and the beautiful DPL trophy along with the Team with the Most Wins (20); Best Defensive Team (27 goals at .71 per game) and Top Scoring Team (52 goals for an average of 1.36 per game). With $75,000 for the other awards, Tivoli Gardens coffers rose to $2.725m for a wonderful night.
Team captain Edsel Scott collected three awards for Top Goalkeeper and $100,000 for his 15 clean sheets after keeping in 36 of their 38 games.
He also received a plaque for being the Winning Captain and a RIM Blackberry for the Club’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The Coach of the Year Award went to Tivoli Gardens’ Glendon Bailey, who was winning the Premier League for the second time.
He made the Tivoli Gardens the most consistent team and had them atop of the DPL for 28 weeks, a lead they held since November 2010.
Also collecting money on the night were second-placed Boys’ Town, who collected $1.5 million, dethroned champions Harbour View carried off $1million for third, while fourth-placed Waterhouse got $500,000.
Mark Linehan, CEO of Digicel Jamaica, whose company is in its third and final year of their $150m sponsorship of the league, said it “a great season of football”.
“I must congratulate Tivoli Gardens on their fifth win of the Premier League and must commend Boys’ Town on a well-fought campaign. Boys’ Town will be one to watch next season,” he noted.
President of champions Tivoli Gardens and chairman of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA), Edward Seaga, congratulated his team for accomplishing their mission.
“They were representing a cause (as) they came from a community that suffered great tragedy last year this time. They lost their self-respect and their self-esteem, and they were determined to rebuild that self-respect and restore self-esteem in that community,” said Seaga, who served as member of Parliament for West Kingston for over 40 years, the political constituency in which Tivoli Gardens falls.
Seaga, who was also prime minister between 1980 and 1989, had a few words for national head coach Theodore Whitmore.
“Tivoli Gardens is a team of few stars and have two players that ‘Tappa’ calls sometimes. I have to remind him that they (Tivoli) have many others,” said Seaga.
“Tivoli is a team that has two good players in every position… if one is injured another man takes his place. This team, the starless team, was determined to win because they have a cause,” he added.
Reno’s National Under-20 player Craig Foster won the DPL Player of the Season Award and he was a bit surprised, but elated.
“I must thank God for this great achievement. I never expected it, but I worked hard,” said Foster, the son of former Reno player Jeffrey Foster.
The talented youngster said he will be on trial at a Swedish Club and is preparing himself and is even looking to earn a spot on the Reggae Boyz Gold Cup squad.
“I am looking forward to get a call-up to the national (senior) team. I will be trying to make the Gold Cup team (as) I did what I had to do in the Premier League,” said Foster.
The forward netted 15 times and was second on the goalscoring chart to Kirk Ramsey of Arnett Gardens, who scored 17 goals. But it was a bitter pill to swallow for Foster seeing that Ramsey netted eight times in a 12-0 demolition of the already relegated Benfica.
“I am very disappointed, but that is just football. I am disappointed with Benfica because I scored two goals then heard in their late kick off that he scored eight,” said Foster.
Of course Ramsey won the
Golden Boots Award and $100,000 and was voted his Club MVP for which he received a RIM Blackberry from Digicel.
Meanwhile, Michael Campbell of Boys’ Town walked away with the Tony Burrows Player Personality of the Year trophy and $100,000.
Village United won the Fair Play Award and $100,000 with Tyrone Sawyers of Humble Lion capturing the Most Disciplined Player award and $50,000.
Ewan Scott was voted the Match Commissary of the Year and cash of $30,000, while Kevin Morrison was voted the Top Referee and Gold Cup-bound Ricardo Morgan was the Top Assistant Referee.
There were 12 Club MVPs and they each received RIM Blackberry phones. They are Kirk Ramsey (Arnett Gardens); Javaul Stoddart (Benfica), Michael Campbell (Boys’ Town); Michaud Barrett (Harbour View); Tyrone Sawyers (Humble Lion); Ricardo Cousins (Portmore United); Craig Foster (Reno); Marlon Allen (Sporting Central Academy); Romeo Parkes (St Georges); Edsel Scott (Tivoli Gardens); Cordell Simpson (Village United) and Vincent Earle (Waterhouse).