ISSA to consult stakeholders on restart of school football season post hurricane
With many waiting to hear about the restart of the high school football season, Inter Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) President Keith Wellington says a wide range of relevant stakeholders will be consulted before making a final decision.
Observer Online understands that a meeting is set to be held on Friday evening to discuss the resumption of the Manning Cup and DaCosta Cup competitions which have been on hold since October 24 due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The Observer understands that a decision, which was initially anticipated by many Friday, could be known in the next few days.
The impact of the Category Five hurricane were mostly felt by the western and southern parts of the island, resulting in disruptions to several schools in the rural area competition. Schools in the urban area competition, on the other hand, have resumed training, some as early as two days after Hurricane Melissa’s passage.
Speaking to the Observer prior to Friday evening’s meeting, Wellington who also serves as principal of St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS), says ISSA’s top priority is ensuring a collective agreement among all stakeholders, including the Government.
“It’s a decision that we are going to make as a group with input from all the various stakeholders so I am comforted by the fact that I’m not left alone to make that decision,” said Wellington. “We have an executive body that will discuss all the pros and cons after consultations with our stakeholders, with our school membership.”
“That will include not just the schools that are actively participating in the competition, who I think will have probably the biggest say in determining what happens, but we’ll also have to discuss this with our sponsors, our media partners, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sports, the Government as a whole, as to what they think are our best option. But, yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to making a decision,” he added.
The urban and rural area Under-19 competitions, currently at the round of 16 stage, were expected to be completed by December but the devastation caused by the category five hurricane could see it being pushed into January.
The future of the Walker Cup, Ben Francis Cup and Champions Cup knockout competitions will also be discussed.
The Under-14 and Under-16 competitions, which should have kicked off at the end of October, have yet to begin.
