Bell-Ziadie Memorial, Boom ‘El Clasico’ highlight Heroes’ Day football
FOOTBALL fans will have a treat on Monday’s Heroes’ Day as the 37th Bell-Ziadie Memorial and inaugural Boom ‘El Clasico’ are rolled into one at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in south St Andrew.
Three games are scheduled, beginning with STGC Invitational versus Christian Ambassadors at 3:30 pm to be followed by the encounter between Masters and Celebrities and Entertainers Invitational at 5:00 pm. Action is to culminate with the match dubbed as El Clasico between Jamaica Premier League (JPL) teams Arnett Gardens FC and Waterhouse FC at 6:45 pm.
Organisers say gates will open at 1:00 pm. The cost of admission is $1000 for adults and $500 for children.
Clive “Busy” Campbell of Masters and Celebrities is delighted that the Bell-Ziadie Memorial matches are able to return after a two-year absence.
“For the last two years, due to the [novel coronavirus] pandemic, we were forced to abide by the Government of Jamaica protocols and therefore the format was changed. There were no football matches, however the honorees were still recognised — albeit in an extremely restricted forum.
“This year we are pleased that we are able to get out on the football field and regain some of the excitement of seeing the Masters at work, playing and just having fun. It is all about camaraderie and our ability to assist another basic school from the proceeds of the event,” Campbell shared.
This year’s honorees are Emerson “Diggy” Henry, Clive “Blacka” Dixon. Chris Ziadie and Neville Lyn are to be honoured posthumously.
Machel Turner, operations manager of the Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL), said that the concept of the El Clasico is to add value to the football landscape.
“As the PFJL we are trying to, other than the JPL, have some other products that we are trying to bring to the Jamaican football fan base to excite them.
“The point of the El Clasico was to build the excitement for the league that is right around the corner — and this I think adds to that even more because Jamaican people know about Bell-Ziadie. It’s a staple of the football community so this just allows us to expand our reach a little bit and build some more excitement.
“We would probably have been able to do it on our own but this is an established event, and partnering with something like that with a new event will help us going forward,” he reasoned.
“Arnett [and] Waterhouse, they are the two biggest fan bases in the league and these teams bring excitement. People follow… those teams and they will come out and watch those teams so, hopefully, that is a big kick-off for the JPL season,” Turner added.
The JPL is slated to start Sunday October 23.
