Riley relaunches Eagles Track Club

David Riley, head coach of the Eagles Track Club, says his organisation will be relaunching its operations in September with its focus on sprints and hurdles events. 

Riley, who is currently the head coach of Excelsior High School, launched the Eagles Track Club in 2012, but the organisation had gone off the boil in recent years. 

“The Eagles Track Club has been around for a while, and we literally started some work back in 2012 or thereabouts,” said Riley. 

“It is just to provide an opportunity for those, post-high school, who wanted somewhere to train. It is mainly for my former athletes who returned to Jamaica and needed somewhere to train, and we just provide them with that opportunity,” he said. 

Riley indicated that the club will be primarily based at Excelsior High School, but will also have access to other training facilities all around the island. 

“There are multiple places where we do various things, but the primary base will be at Excelsior, where there are sufficient facilities to support something like that,” he said. 

“We do have access to a technique lab where all the technology exist, and there are other tracks that we have access to as well,” Riley stated. 

The veteran coach pointed out that they have not decided on the athletes or management team that will be installed at the Mountain View-based club as yet. However, he did indicate that athletes and coaches wishing to join the organisation will have to apply. 

“We have not made any such decisions, and so what I have done is to communicate what my plans are for next season, and we have not done any of that yet,” Riley said. 

“I am not at the point to make a decision as to who is going to be there; and everybody will have to apply for me to decide and for the organisation to decide who we are going to have in the club and what their roles are going to be, whether they are athletes or whether they are coaches or whatever, and so no such decisions have been made,” he said. 

“We have had persons who have expressed an interest to join the outfit, but no decisions have been made yet,” Riley noted.

He also highlighted that the rebirth of the club forms part of his plans to aid the development of the country’s professional athletes. 

“It is part of the journey. It is important. If you look at the long-term needs of our track and field and all means of our track and field programme and where we are at now with respect to the offering and the results that we have been getting so far, I think it is just the right time,” Riley underscored. 

However, Riley remained tight-lipped when asked how the club will be funded. 

“I am not revealing any of that information right now,” he said.