Overworked schoolboy footballers' health at risk?

[Sickko]

Overworked schoolboy footballers' health at risk?
BY DANIA BOGLE Sunday Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010





AT least two medical doctors have admitted that there is a serious deficiency of focus on the health of young footballers and that more attention needs to be paid to that area.
Surgeon and doctor of Integrative Medicine Carlton Fraser told the Sunday Observer that the evidence suggests that enough due diligence is not being put in before young athletes are sent out into competition.

This, he said, was highlighted by the fact that five young men had died in action since November last year. The latest was a 12-year-old Excelsior footballer who collapsed and died while playing in September.
"Playing six matches in 12 days would be beyond what is normal," Dr Fraser said. "There is no reason to put anyone through that, especially for an endurance activity."
He noted that the bodies of Manning and daCosta cups players were still in a developmental stage and that overwork could adversely affect their physiological development. Against that background he stressed the importance of sufficient hydration.
"They are more prone to injury unless you adequately hydrate them," Dr Fraser said.
Dr Fraser, who has many years' working experience with national teams to international competitions, was supported by Dr Guyan Arscott, chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation's Medical Committee.
"This does not necessarily mean just having medical personnel and an ambulance, for example, at matches. I think players' health means more than that. It means ensuring the well-being of players at all times, not just during a match, and this should apply even more so in the younger players," said Dr Arscott.
"The education and health of these players must go hand-in-hand and I know that FIFA is really keen on seeing how football can help community development, so clearly we shouldn't ignore one over the other."
However, Orthopaedic surgeon and Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association second vice-president Dr Warren Blake said that while six matches in 12 days was a lot, many schoolboy football players trained several days of the week anyway.
"The only thing that is really different from the training is the competitiveness and the contact nature of it," he told the Sunday Observer.
Still, he admitted that many matches in so short a period might be a bit over the top. "Six matches in 12 days might be a little much... competing so much in a short space of time will put you at a greater risk... it might be more stressful," he said, adding that the physiological pressure might take a toll.
"There is an increased propensity to sprains and strains because football really puts a lot of stress on your knees," Dr Blake said.
Dr Fraser's ideal schedule would include Sundays, allowing players at least two days' rest between matches. "I would not play three matches in six days... one day off is going to be very stressful," he emphasised.
He pointed out that even in the adult Premier League, matches were only played on Sundays and Wednesdays.
"The senior player can better handle that. Hormonal build-up is at full capacity. Teenagers are still changing voice, still developing muscles. Their recovery machine is not as effective, especially in endurance type situations," he stated.
"A lot of it is ignorance and neglect," Dr Fraser stated. "Everyone just feels they are young and strong. We cannot get into philosophies and opinions about it anymore because basic scientific fact is there."
Dr Blake noted, however, that once players had left school and were out of that situation of constant playing they were unlikely to feel any ill-effects of the rigorous schedule of their youth.
"Unless they get some major damage to the knee there should be no major lasting side effects," he said.
Dr Blake added that his own son is a competitive swimmer who had also endured many hours of training and that had he been a football player, he would not have restricted him from playing, even if he had as many as six matches in less than two weeks.
Chief of psychiatric health at the University Hospital of the West Indies Dr Wendel Abel said that he did not believe that the strain would take too much of a mental toll on players.
"Yes, they are under pressure, but I don't know if the psychological toll is going to be that great," he told the Sunday Observer.
"A lot of these guys are accustomed to playing under rigorous conditions. It's just that it makes any competitive sport difficult, and under normal circumstances they would be under pressure and when the environmental conditions are challenging, it's going to add to the pressure," he added.
But according to Dr Arscott, there might be danger elsewhere: "Apart from the physical stress and fatigue and the increased risk of injuries, they run a risk which is quite often not understood, and that is a loss of appetite for the game, which clearly does not bode well for quality players among them to ascend to the national senior programme.
"I think the whole thing needs to be looked at. We have seen where athletes have been burnt out in track and field, and very talented athletes having just not gone on after leaving high school, and I'm sure the same thing is happening in football," he pointed out.
Nonetheless, Dr Abel remained resolute. "Human beings are very resilient," he insisted. "It's not a situation where there have been any reports or any increased signs or incidences when people play under these conditions. If that were the situation, they would not have matches... matches would not be played under such conditions."

[Sickko]

Principals differ over effects of hectic ISSA schedule
JC Manning Cup 'ballers' schoolwork suffers
BY COREY ROBINSON Sunday Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010

RUEL Reid, principal of Jamaica College (JC), is among several school heads who have admitted that the tight Manning and DaCosta cups football schedules are hampering players' academic performance.

Reid, who also serves as advisor to Education Minister Andrew Holness, said students spent too much time playing matches and not enough studying and completing assignments.

"What has happened over time is that the number of schools participating in these competitions have significantly increased," Reid said. "And where the problem arises is trying to complete all the football matches by December."

Reid, using JC as reference, said students who participated in the Manning Cup competition tend to perform lower than those who do not participate in sports, especially in the first school term.

"It is not only playing games in the week but also on Saturdays. It's almost as if it's a lifestyle," he said. "The schedule is extremely demanding and all I am saying is that it is time for us to review how we conduct the competition to make it more manageable for everybody."

Reid said one alternative could be to split the competitions into preliminary rounds. That, however, may not be as equitable or seen as fair to some persons, he noted.

Michael Stewart, principal of Porus High School, agreed with Reid. He said the current schedules stress students physically and mentally thus leading to a lapse in their academic output.

The effects are worsened, he said, when the games are postponed due to inclement weather.

"As principals we are very mindful of the contact hours that are being taken away from the students. Many of them are preparing for CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate) and other external examinations," he said.

"While we believe that sports plays a significant role in their development, it should not come at the expense of their academic performance," he said, adding that he has received several complaints from parents and students about the issue.

Ray Howell, principal at Edith Dalton James High, said, however, that the onus is on the students who wish to participate in these competitions to be disciplined and focussed in maintaining their academic standards.

He said also that principals had no grounds on which to complain about the schedules as they were the persons who collectively decided on them.
"It is expected that students who want to participate in these activities will show the discipline needed to maintain the standards," he said.

"My experience is that children who participate in Manning and DaCosta cup competitions do better than children who do no activity at school," he continued. "Unless you can show me data, I believe there is nothing to show that these children perform less than others in school."

Dr Claudette Christie, principal of St Andrew Technical High School, also placed the responsibility on students to ensure that they perform well academically.

Christie argued that there was little that could be done about the schedules, saying she was prepared to work with what she had to assist the students to catch up with the others.

"It all depends on the attitude of the students because even if you have good intentions, if you don't have the correct attitude, then it will not work," Christie said.

[Sickko]

Foul! - Money driving neglect even as schedule hurting players
ISSA admits football schedule heavy, but says it is doing all it can
BY IAN BURNETT Sport Editor burnetti@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010

THERE is growing agitation by stakeholders, particularly coaches and some school administrators, for the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) to redesign the Manning and daCosta cups schedules as they are taking a heavy toll on the players physically and academically.

ISSA, the body comprised of principals responsible for organising and executing inter-school sports, has failed to sufficiently solve the problem and the outcry now is that instead of getting better, the situation is getting progressively worse and something has to be done to save the student/athletes, as their educational development could be compromised.

The Manning Cup competition, confined to schools in the Corporate Area, began in 1909 and together with the daCosta Cup, which is restricted to rural area schools since 1950, has evolved into a great tradition in Jamaica. Both competitions have proven to be invaluable, unique nurseries for age group national teams, and the general development of the sport locally.

However, over the past few years there have been calls for changes to the intensive, intrusive and gruelling fixtures, especially after it was made worse with increased numbers of teams following the reformation of the educational system when secondary schools were upgraded to high schools.

This year, 111 secondary high schools (40 in the Manning Cup and 71 in the daCosta Cup) entered the competitions, which run from early September to early December, with an average of three to four games per week in the Manning Cup; and three games per week in the daCosta Cup, throughout the five- to six-week preliminary phase of the competition.

But the already taxing schedule became even more burdensome following the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole, which lashed the island in late September, creating a number of postponements and the obligatory rescheduling of games.

The end result was that one school, Calabar High, was rostered to play six games in 12 days, while another, Excelsior High, was asked to play five games in 10 days.

ISSA President Dr Walton Small, who is also principal of Wolmer's Boys' School, conceded that the demanding schedule was "a dilemma", but argued that "we are doing all that we can".

In fact, Dr Small also admitted that he's aware that "there is a concern, but we have to put it in context". However, even more stunning was his expectation that the situation would deteriorate. "Come next year it is going to be worse because there are now some schools indicating that they want to participate," he said.

Dr Small, who succeeded Clement Radcliffe as head of ISSA three years ago, also told the Sunday Observer that though the schedule took into account the possibility of interruptions, "Tropical Storm Nicole really wreaked havoc and the only thing that we could do if we did not want to ask the schools to play these many matches is to take it outside of the term, and I can tell you this is not something that the administration of ISSA wants to do".

"We are constrained by the fact that we must finish the competition within this term because if we delay it will go up to the week of Christmas," he added.

Efforts by the Sunday Observer to get a response from Education Minister Andrew Holness, including e-mailed questions four weeks ago, proved futile, but Opposition spokesman on education Basil Waite, while arguing that the "scheduling is a bit extreme" this year, said he didn't think it was a normal case, as Tropical Storm Nicole interrupted the schedule.

Nonetheless, he admitted that there was the same outcry from a number of schools last year, and now he believes the Ministry of Education should step in.

"The time has come for ISSA to review the whole scheduling of the Manning and daCosta cups as we have more high schools entering and because of that we have more games being played," said Waite. "ISSA has to review how the competitions are progressing. What we need to do is to review the policy and involve more stakeholders in formulating the policy.

We can tweak the FIFA rules and make them applicable to schoolboys. Involve the PTA and the National Secondary Schools Association."

Waite added: "The whole education system is about students, and I would certainly advocate a review of the system. It is a matter for the Ministry of Education to be involved in, although the involvement of the ministry should be a last resort."

Dr Small said that one of the things ISSA is exploring is a tiered system, where schools are placed in different leagues, depending on current quality, but the principals are opposed to it. "The principals oppose it on the grounds that the money made from the games against 'bigger' schools is what helps their schools defray costs. Everybody wants to play a school that will bring money into their coffers," Small explained.

The ISSA boss said that some principals had also rejected a change in format from the home-and-away system to a straight one-round format. "The argument was that, what if there is a zone with only six schools, I am going to spend all this money (to prepare the team) and my team would only get to play five matches, so that was a very big concern, that the input would not justify the ends, if we are only going to allow them to play one round of matches."

But this explanation has raised concerns about the priority of some school administrators, as while some clamour for a more student/athlete friendly schedule, others appear more focused on the financial rewards at their students' expense.

In the preliminary phase of the competitions, schools oppose each other on a home-and-away format with the host school generating funds through admission fees.

And like the Track and Field Athletics Championships, the Manning and daCosta cups competitions are huge money earners for ISSA and the schools. Pepsi Cola Jamaica and Digicel Jamaica are the two title sponsors for these competitions, pumping millions of dollars into them. Each school participating gets $50,000 before the start of the competition, free jerseys and shorts and a travelling subsidy. The schools are responsible for purchasing footwear, but all referees' fees are paid by ISSA.

From the second round onwards, ISSA is responsible for preparation of grounds and the travelling expenses of schools, but all funds generated go to ISSA.

The Sunday Observer was unable to ascertain the value of the sponsorship from the title sponsors, but at the launch of this year's competition Scotiabank Jamaica Limited, an associate sponsor, along with Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, presented a symbolic cheque of just over $5 million to ISSA.

According to ISSA, Pepsi Cola Jamaica will provide the Manning Cup champions with a $175,000 winner's prize and the daCosta Cup runners-up with $75,000, while Digicel will provide the daCosta Cup winners with $175,000 and the Manning Cup runners-up with $75,000.

The two title sponsors will provide $90,000 each for a total of $180,000 for the all-island Olivier Shield champions.

In continuing the search for remedies, the Wolmer's Boys' School principal said he also encouraged schools to operate big squads so in cases like this, schools can look at rotating players. "That is why you have a squad," Dr Small argued, "so you can rotate players and not expose them to the same rigours because of what is happening."

One individual who knows both sides of the ISSA-run competitions very well is retired Camperdown High School principal and former ISSA Manning Cup Committee chair Cynthia Cooke, who believes there has to be agreement among the various parties involved to find a reasonable solution which will suit everyone when unforeseen circumstances force a backlog in the schedule.

Cooke, who understands the rigourous schedule of a schoolboy footballer trying to balance sport with academics, explained that sometimes boys were in classes up to six hours per day without a break, even as they had a match scheduled for the same day. Usually there is no time for them to rest either, as they must also report to school or to training the next day.
"It is difficult for them, both for their physical well-being and their academic performance," she explained. "If preparations can be made to alleviate those, then fine, but if we cannot, then we should look at the options."

Cooke said the solution would be to extend the season or restructure the competition with input from the key parties, the sponsors, coaches, students, and ISSA.

The former headmistress also admitted that she found it challenging during her tenure because she had both her roles as chairperson and principal to consider. And she, too, conceded that this season was an extreme case. "When I heard the number of rain days I said 'boy, what is really going to happen to these children now?' and I was really glad I was not the person having to make the decision," she told the Sunday Observer.

"You want the children to finish the season quickly and get back into the academic part of their school life, nobody wants it to go over into January, so you really have a small window of opportunity for extending the season," she concluded.

For Excelsior High's vice principal in charge of sports, Reverend Michael G Lewis, the schedule is much too demanding for his student athletes.

"Well firstly, there are two concerns," he told the Sunday Observer recently. "One has to do with the physical demands that the schedule places on the boys having to play so many matches in such a short space of time. It does take a toll on their bodies. Most of them don't have the kind of physical structure to support such a rigourous schedule. As a result, they sleep in classes and are not able to function effectively in the classroom.

"Secondly, in terms of the physical demands, it exposes the athletes to injuries, and there is a cost factor in terms of taking them to physiotherapy. The major concern, however, is that when they have so many games in a short time it means that we have to pull the students from classes very regularly, and what it means is that they miss consecutive lessons and it becomes a difficult task for them to now integrate back into the classes and for them to follow what is happening."

Reverend Lewis added: "It is very, very important that we understand that apart from the sporting discipline, we are trying to ensure that all our athletes -- footballers and track or whatever, excel academically, so we cannot sacrifice their academic pursuits on the altar of sports. There must be some sort of synergy between the two, and we have to be careful. I would recommend that we rethink the schedule to ensure that we don't cram so many games in such a short space of time that would affect the academic performance of the children."

Leebert Halliman, who has had tremendous successes as a coach at the schoolboy level with St Andrew Technical High School and his alma mater Excelsior, was livid when he spoke to the Sunday Observer a few weeks ago.

"I was astonished when I saw the fixtures which said that we were playing three games next week (mid-October), which means that we would be playing five games in almost 10 to 11 days... Calabar, on the other hand, is having six games in almost 12 days. I think it is too much of a heavy load on the chaps, in that most of them are fifth formers and they have their SBAs (School-Based Assessment) to do and almost every other day there is a game, and for me the classroom is first and everything else is secondary," Halliman fumed.

"In addition to that, the resources that the school has where that is concerned are very weak, because to be playing you have to be eating properly, resting properly and getting the proper supplements... the professionals cannot do it, so I don't understand how they (ISSA) are expecting students to do it. For the future, these players will be burnt out because we have seen even at Champs (Track and Field Athletics Championships) where a number of athletes do well at this level, but can't reproduce that form three to four years later, so that is really my concern," the veteran coach argued.

Halliman suggested that ISSA organise a meeting with the coaches, the local governing body, the sponsors as well as the education ministry to deal with the issue. "The Ministry of Education should step in because we don't want the institutions to end up like clubs, because definitely what is taking place now doesn't speak for education, it speaks for football and schools are not for football they are a place for learning -- education in all aspects."

The coach also cautioned stakeholders to do everything possible to protect the sport at the school level. "It is tough times and sponsors are cutting left, right and centre to ensure that we have a competition, so we have to make sure that the product, which is a good one, is of value to them."

Former national youth coach Neville 'Bertis' Bell, who also coaches the defending Manning Cup champions St George's College, agreed that there are too many games or games too close together, but he's unsure what can be done to lessen the burden. "Ideally you don't want more than a match a week, but it's not an ideal situation," he said.

"I don't know if the competition can be started any earlier. I don't know how else (ISSA) can do it. Perhaps they could have a two-tiered system with a lower league and a higher league and promote and demote teams," he suggested.

Bell's colleague, Ludlow Bernard, coach of Wolmer's Boys', was far more direct, arguing that if the present trend continues, players would lose out, both on the field and in the classroom.

"It is difficult when you have to play two matches in five days because there is little preparation time in-between," argued Bernard. "Players have to juggle both academics and representing their schools and they have to balance it to maximise both. Mentally, it is tough because of the pressures and the demands of football and the demands of school... you have to satisfy parents, friends, fans and others who have expectations of you."
Bernard, who is in his first season as coach at Wolmer's, added: "It is tough when you consider that a youngster has to start preparing himself for a day at school from as early as 6:00 am and then he spends the entire morning and early afternoon in the classroom in a very intense situation, after which he is called to take the field for another two hours then travel home. It is very stressful. It would be good if ISSA finds some way to extend the season or schedule games in such a manner so there is adequate space to allow for all those considerations."

For Keith Wellington of St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), when schoolboys are asked to play more than two games per week it starts to affect school time, especially when they have to travel away to games. Depending on how far teams travel for games it could take away up to two hours of class time for the day, he argued.

Dinthill Technical's Dennis Clarke was thankful that his school was not badly affected this year, but he claimed that there was a situation where Charlemont High played back-to-back games and then a third two days later, though that arrangement was made by the schools and outside of the zone chairman's knowledge.

Veteran coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams, who is at the helm of Rusea's High, said it would be very uncomfortable to play so many games in such a short period of time, as it would not lend to proper recovery and recuperation on the part of the players. He said that would be asking too much from youngsters, who are still developing their bodies.

But Junior Brown of Spalding High noted that his school was one of those severely affected in Zone G of the daCosta Cup. "We were being asked to play three days in a row and four times in five days, but we wrote a letter to ISSA asking that a particular game be postponed as we had two tough games," he said.

"The boys were not mentally or physically prepared for that kind of exertion, and it is unfair, as it would cause too much wear and tear on their young bodies," he added.

Ironically, Calabar was one of the worst affected schools, but according to coach Alrick Clarke, who has won the title on three occasions with Norman Manley High School, they handled the adversity fairly well, thanks in part to a big squad which facilitated player rotation.

"It was very tough, especially for fifth formers, who have to play a game every other day and still do their studies," he said. "And we have spoken about it over and over and nothing is being done and I don't know why.

"Our team handled it fairly well, but a lot of teams I saw suffering from cramps and their players pulling up injured. We have a very 'tall' squad and we can rotate, so I think that was how we were able to respond on such a good note, but most teams we played, you could see it was having a big effect with four or five players pulling up. It was very strenuous to play so many games in one week," he said.

Meanwhile, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, minister of youth, sports and culture, said that if there was indeed a burdensome schedule, then there would be a case for a revision with a view to having more time between matches. "It would be difficult for older, professional footballers to cope, moreover high school children," she said, via an e-mail response.

She added: "If we take the well-being and overall welfare of our youth in schools into consideration, then we should avoid a 'win-at-all-cost' course for them. The value that we ought to be encouraging is that they play the game to the best of their ability, but not to the detriment of others or themselves. Our youngsters should never be made to feel that they 'have let down the side' if they do not come out winners on every occasion.

"We need to show our young people at all times that while we appreciate their efforts we will love them whether they win or lose. Anything else must be discouraged in schools and I am calling on parents, teachers, coaches, peers and fans to allow our young people to compete free of the pressure that would make them feel that they have to win at all cost."

Grange concluded that she would advocate a national policy, "after careful consideration and deliberations" if the present situation is "really untenable".

"This, of course, would call for collaborative examination on the part of the schools, parents, sporting bodies and the ministry," she said.

Current national Under-20 and Under-17 coach Wendell Downswell, himself a product of the school system through to the international level, is urging the Ministry of Education to step in and rectify the situation.

"Something has to be done," he said, before explaining that what is taking place now will "burn out" the players. "It is more of a burn out effect, especially when these youngsters play this volume of games under heavy underfoot conditions... some of them 15 years old, it takes a toll on them. Then, if you look at it from a nutritional standpoint... have they been monitored effectively regarding their nutrition?"

Downswell, the current technical director of Westmoreland's Reno FC in the Digicel Premier League, sympathises with ISSA regarding the time schedule, but believes that the student/athletes must be priority in the final analysis.

He also added that the present fixture for the schoolboys is having a negative impact on preparations for the national youth teams. "When some of the Under-17s come to us (training camp), based on their school schedule there is not much we can do with them, and it was evident with the first game we played (against Canada recently where the team lost 2-4)," he said, even though he pointed out that the team rebounded to win the second game 1-0.

"We can only devise light training sessions and this does not allow for us to identify their qualities," bemoaned Downswell, who, like so many others, has suggested that ISSA implements a two-tiered system, just as it has done with cricket.

[Bruce]

An easy and no-cost way to lessen the physical burden on these young athletes is to allow more substitutions in a game.

Not quite as much as USA high schools where players run in and out constantly like a basketball game

[Sickko]

No need to play outside of FIFA rules they are allowed to register up to 22 players at any one time and can make as many changes as they want through the season.

The alarm was raised when Bertis Bell played his boys right after they came off the plane from the trip to Guyana