The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: Arlington quit Super League

By Richard Bryan, Freelance Writer

In this April 2005 photo, Everton Foster (centre), president of Arlington, instructs Zico Herrera (right) at the start of the second half of their National Premier League game against Wadadah at Jarrett Park. - File

Fresh on the heels of an exciting mid-season final between winners Rivoli and Humble Lions, the South Central Confed Super League has received a jolt as St Catherine team Arlington have withdrawn from the competition.

This is the second team that has decided to call it quits following the shock exit of Manchester's Los Perfectos three weeks ago. Both teams had sorry starts to the season, but while the Manchester team is known to be properly financed and boasts strong football links and legacy, Arlington's reasons are largely related to administrative and money woes.

The 2005 champions had merely earned a point in a 3-3 draw with Hillstars at Prison Oval in seven matches since the start of the 2008 season. Club president and founder, Everton Foster, said the exit of some seven players during the recent transfer window was the final straw of what has been difficult times.

"I'm upset that we weren't able to finish the season but money played a big part. We lost more than seven players and we were just not able to field a proper team," he attempted to explain to Star Sports. The situation, he said, was untenable as these seven players were the core of the team who had decided to stay on and had resisted previous attempts by other teams to lure them.

Arlington's problems, he said, began early when they had difficulty to train at their regular home at Corlette's Road. Attempts to get the players to train in Old Harbour, he added, further exacerbated financial problems they were experiencing.

"We weren't getting good results as we had a situation where we were turning up for matches with the team nuh train," he said. He also seemed frustrated by the lack of help he received from the community, including political representatives and business people in that locale, and reckons his own involvement in the club itself is now over. He openly suggested that anyone willing can take over the reins of the club.

Arlington's case is interesting. The club began a fairy-tale run in 2003 when they won the Division Two. The following year, they qualified for the Confed Super League. They conquered that league on debut, then made the cut to the National Premier League. The experience was tragic as they failed to win a match, while changing a number of coaches, and as Foster confessed, devastating on his own finances. On their return to the Confed Super League last season, they failed to reach the semi-finals. This time around, they merely made it to the halfway mark.