SLFA should take a page out of Blackheart’s book

Canaries F.C. Manager Dominic Leonty speaking at Sunday's post-match press conference

CASTRIES, Saint Lucia - There is the widely held perception that teams

generally take the Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football

Tournament very seriously, because of the huge monetary incentives on offer.

There is the top prize for the winning team of $15,000.00, cash prizes for goals

scored, along with a number of other monetary incentives.

These incentives, according to certain local pundits, are the reasons why local

teams take this competition more seriously than national football competitions

organized by the Saint Lucia Football Association.

However one of the team officials in this year’s competition, does not agree with

this widely held perception that it is because of the monetary prizes on offer that

teams take this Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament

very  seriously.

Dominic Leonty, the manager of the Canaries Football team, and himself a former

Canaries midfielder, told a post-match press conference that, “I think that the

monetary incentive is one of the reasons, but is not the main.”

He clarified by adding, “As far as I am concern, from what I have witnessed, the

reason why teams prepare better for Blackheart is because of the organization

involved in it. Before you are accepted, or invited into Blackheart

(Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament), you have to

attend meetings, and from then, you can start preparing your team.”

He pointed out that if one looks at the prize money for the national competition,

it is about $17,000.00 for the last one, and in monetary terms, they are about

the same.

However, he went on to identify the difference. “The organization behind the

Blackheart (Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament),

differs. You can see the hype, you can see the advertisement, you can see

everything. These are the things that makes the Blackheart (Blackheart/Kashif

and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament), more attractive than the national

competition.

In Leonty’s opinion, “I think it is the best preparation ever, but what should

happen is that the SLFA should take a page from the book of Blackheart.”

Leonty added that local football authorities should try to emulate what is done in

the Blackheart/Kashif and Shanghai Knockout Football Tournament towards

improving their own competitions.

For that to happen in ensuring that the sport of football develops holistically,

Leonty said that that Saint Lucia Football Association should “continue in the

same vein, with the same organizational structure, with the same advertisement

and a promotional aspect. If that happen, I think that we will have football year

round in Saint Lucia.” (Robertson S. Henry)