Policing its own - Eleven years after ambush-marketing incident, ISSA still struggling to enforce self-imposed rules

Jamaica College's (JC) disqualification from the Walker Cup Knockout, a ban from next year's competition and the forfeiture of points from a Manning Cup fixture against St Catherine High after player Jamone Lyle was deemed ineligible, along with the sanctions imposed on Excelsior High School for fielding an ineligible player in two Manning Cup matches, have brought the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association's (ISSA) Amateurism Rule and broader questions of regulatory compliance back into sharp focus.

The sanctions against two of the island's most prestigious institutions highlight an ongoing challenge within Jamaican schoolboy sport. More than a decade after establishing strict regulations to protect student-athletes and preserve the integrity of its competitions, ISSA continues to find itself policing breaches by its own member schools.

A remarkable athletic performance and post-race celebration gave birth to the Amateurism Rule. Since then, however, a series of other infractions has kept ISSA busy reining in members that form the backbone of the organisation.

‘Be Extraordinary’

Immediately after winning the Class One boys' 200 metres final at the ISSA Boys' Championships on Saturday, March 28, 2015, Michael O'Hara of Calabar High School lifted his team jersey to reveal a red-and-green undershirt bearing the words "Be Extraordinary", the slogan of telecommunications company Digicel, which had signed him to a professional contract.

Everything about O'Hara's performance at Champs 2015 was extraordinary. His winning time of 20.60 seconds in the 200m remains among the five fastest ever recorded at the championships, headed by Usain Bolt's 20.25. He also captured four gold medals, adding titles in the 100m, 110m hurdles and 4x100m relay.

No other male athlete has won four individual events at a single staging of Champs.

But what should have been remembered solely as a watershed moment for a gifted athlete also became a turning point in Jamaican high school sport, leading directly to the implementation of ISSA's Amateurism Rule.

“The rule itself was prompted by the 2015 incident at Champs, where our sponsors were ambushed by a competing sponsor who had engaged the professional services of an athlete to ambush market at Champs,” ISSA President Keith Wellington said in an exclusive interview with RJRGLEANER Communications Group.

“So we had to put something in place in that instance to protect our sponsors going forward,” Wellington added.

Beyond protecting sponsors, ISSA said the rule was designed to safeguard the long-term educational prospects of student-athletes, particularly those seeking scholarships at overseas institutions, where maintaining amateur status is often a requirement.

“We want to try and help protect them from making decisions that will affect their future education,” Wellington remarked.

Compliance breakdowns

The recent JC-Lyle and Excelsior cases underscore ISSA's continuing struggle to ensure compliance among member schools.

Since 2015, several schools, including Excelsior High, Hydel High, Camperdown High, Tivoli Gardens High, Jamaica College and Mona High, have been penalised for breaching eligibility rules in football. JC and Mona were also placed on probation.

Following the Lyle case, Excelsior were placed on two years' probation through to August 31, 2028. The school was deducted six Manning Cup points, including forfeitures and 3-0 scorelines awarded to opponents St Jago High and Calabar High. Excelsior were also removed from the Walker Cup and, consequently, eliminated from the all-island Champions Cup.

ISSA ruled that the matter fell under the category of 'Ineligibility and Transfer Status', determining that the player in question was an international transfer student who had also breached academic and attendance requirements.

Membership in ISSA and participation in its competitions are granted by invitation and rest on a commitment to collective responsibility and adherence to the association's rules.

Deep disappointment

Wellington expressed disappointment that an organisation built on democratic principles, where each member school has a vote in creating, amending and enforcing regulations, must devote resources to monitoring compliance among its own membership.

"For us to have agreed on a set of rules and to have the challenges we are having to police those rules, it's really disappointing for us, especially bearing in mind that we are schools and it is expected that as schools we are teaching our children morals and ethics," he said.

The latest cases also demonstrated how easily breaches can be uncovered because of the close familiarity among players, coaches and administrators across the schoolboy football landscape.

It was Calabar High and St Jago High that filed eligibility complaints regarding the Excelsior player who had represented the Mountain View Avenue institution for three years before going overseas and later returning to represent the school.

Excelsior accepted ISSA's ruling and apologised, stating that it neither sought nor received any competitive advantage and had erred in failing to recognise the player as an international transfer student.

Waterhouse Football Club, which signed Lyle to a professional contract, also documented a disciplinary breach.

The document was later circulated on social media by Craig Butler, technical director of Mona High School's football programme and a former Jamaica College football stalwart.

Contractual revelation

“People found out after the game (against JC) from the club,” Butler said in an interview with RJRGLEANER Communications Group.

A former JC defender known for his uncompromising style, Butler further elaborated on the contractual issue through a social media video.

“But the truth of it is that on the FIFA Connect you can see whether a player is a pro player or an amateur player. It's very easy. The world can see it. So it's very easy to find out,” he remarked.

In addition to his role at Mona, Butler serves as technical director of Legend Jamaica Premier League club Chapelton Maroons and Phoenix Football Academy, both of which are involved in international player transfers.

He argued that maintaining eligibility standards is essential, not only for regulatory compliance but also for preserving scholarship opportunities for student-athletes.

“The eligibility is important, but also to teach boys to understand and behave within the rules … because you want to have kids being able to have the option of going to college and getting college scholarships,” he said.

“You run the risk, of course, of a player reaching 18 years old and deciding, after all your investment that you did in the player developing him, that you'll lose him because he can just leave once he's an amateur player for free. So it's very hard. Many of the clubs don't wish to lose that money,” he explained.

Mandatory contract

Anyone seeking to play in the Legend Jamaica Premier League must sign a contract.

Wellington explained that ISSA accommodates such arrangements, provided they protect a student's amateur status.

“In terms of professionalism and kids, or students earning, it is not absolute that they can't earn or they can't benefit in terms of financial support, but it is what we expect,” he said.

“So, for example, in the Jamaica Premier League, we know that there are a number of students participating, and we are sure that they would have signed contracts because it's a requirement to participate. But the contracts themselves are contracts that protect the students and their status as amateurs, and so we are comfortable with that.”

Outstanding juvenile player

Lyle remains one of Jamaica's standout young footballers and played a key role in the country's qualification for next month's FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.

He also made his senior Reggae Boyz debut on October 2 in Jamaica's 2-0 Concacaf Nations League victory over El Salvador.

Speaking to The Sunday Gleaner, Lyle said his focus remains firmly on football.

“I am not really focusing on that right now,” he said. “Right now I am focusing on what is in front of me, which is the World Cup, and that is my main focus.”

JC protest

JC subsequently challenged the sanctions imposed by ISSA's Disciplinary Committee, raising questions about the contract's validity, the school's knowledge of the arrangement and whether the punishment was excessive.

One of JC's coaches, Courtney Dowdie, is also a member of Waterhouse FC's coaching staff.

ISSA's Executive Committee informed the school that it had the right to appeal the ruling to the association's Appeals Board, provided the grounds for the challenge were clearly outlined in writing.

The body also addressed public discussion surrounding possible legal action, noting that members are prohibited from taking the association or its representatives to court.

Court action

Wellington argued that legal challenges strike at the heart of the trust and collective responsibility on which ISSA is built.

“We believe that members make a vow to support the organisation to take collective responsibility for the rules and enforce those rules. And therefore, if there's a loss of trust that requires them to go to court, we believe that loss of trust is a breakdown that is a little bit too much for you to remain a member of the association,” he said.

“So I'm a little bit disappointed that we have the challenge we have with some of our rules when the rules are rules that were self-imposed.”

audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com