NEWLY-ELECTED president of Rockfort Football Club, Dwayne Dillon, has big hopes that better days are ahead for the East Kingston-located outfit, based on development and infrastructural plans being formulated.

Dillon, whose new executive was inducted at the club house last month, stressed that the current administrative team, including first vice-president Dillon Jeffrey, secretary Shawna Roper, treasurer Ensley Anderson and facilities manager Samuel Williams, have a three- to five-year goal of beginning major work on the Rockfort Football Complex.

“This administration wants to develop facilities at the club. We recognise the importance of that sort of improvement and we have a plan to make serious strides within the next three to five years. We have two football fields that require plenty of work, so we are looking at getting a Mini-Stadium for the main surface and then have a training facility for the second one,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Rockfort FC, which is sometimes chronically affected by rampant gang-related, community violence, was formed in 1969 and is a member of the Kingston & St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA). It competes in the island’s second-tier Super League competition.

Despite winning the Major League twice and gaining promotion to the Super League, finishing second in 2010, Rockfort have never made it to the prestigious Premier League.

Though enduring a largely disappointing spell last season when the club barely escaped relegation from the Super League, the president is optimistic a change of direction is destined to reap success ahead of this weekend’s start of the 2013 edition.

“We just missed being demoted, but this year we aim to be in the top two teams at the end. The restructuring programme that we underwent gives confidence. Now the focus is on younger players and we moved away from the emphasis that was placed on older players, some of which were not fully committed,” said man whose career lies in management analysis.

The football club is community-owned and resides on lands donated by the National Water Commission (NWC).

Based in the hilly area of Rockfort, the club complex is nestled in close proximity to major sponsors Carib Cement, Jamaica Flour Mills and the Jamaica Private Power Company. Other significant corporate sponsorship comes from Jamaica National and Maths Unlimited.

The partnership with Maths Unlimited offers educational development and provides scholarship opportunities for players. Dillon boasts that such focus on education is an example of the club facilitating “comprehensive development that puts emphasis on the youth and their all-round growth.”