Dear Sir,
WITH the English F.A. Cup being probably the oldest knockout competition in the world, of significant importance is that the final, by tradition, is played at England’s famous Wembley Stadium, where the Royal Family has its private suite for viewership.But winning the English FA Cup offers no incentive as a qualifier in the European Champions League or the second tier of Europa League. As a matter of fact, some English Premier League Clubs field a weakened lineup for a FA Cup tie, concentrating more on the BPL commitments and the Champions League.

Editor, it’s indeed a commendable gesture that Digicel continues to sponsor the Annual Schools K.O. Championship. However, it’s my humble opinion that the tournament should not concentrate solely on attracting additional schools annually.

Utilising the current knockout format, 50% of the teams, after playing their opening fixture, are eliminated, while a similar trend continues until it reaches the semifinals, with the two losing semifinalists contesting the third place play-offs and the winners advancing to the finals.

So, in actuality there is basically no strategic emphasis being placed on development within the context of the sport, players and coaches. By relevant comparison, should not a regional tournament at the Caribbean level be undertaken? Sad to say, with the present local K.O. format of play, the nation’s representatives would be at a distinct disadvantage.

As a consequence, with the championships being played in the 10 administrative regions, a round robin /knockout format would be more conducive in offering a glimmer of hope for development.

Suffice it to say that, come next year, there should be a change in format, with Region 4 having 60 teams divided into 15 groups of 4 teams. Each team would compete against each other once, resulting in 15 winners advancing (not a necessity, however).

Since some regions would have fewer teams, automatically less round-robin matches will be played. But the objective nevertheless is to have 32 schools from the 10 regions compete in the knockout, until it reaches to the 2 finalists and subsequent winner.

In the final analysis, a final-year student debuting for his school, who is well mannered, having good grades and the requisite skills to develop more; if his school is eliminated in the first round, he would never be able to realise his true potential due to a one-match elimination.

What will he be told thereafter? With a recycled administrative football failure as a key stakeholder in the coordination of the tournament in addition to a NSC Executive position, meaningful development would be meaningless.

Regards,
LESTER SEALEY