Robert Bailey, Star Writer

George Forbes, competitions director of the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), has strongly defended his association's decision to stage matches at the Constant Spring Sports Complex, despite the concerned expressed by a number of coaches about poor state of the playing surface.

The coaches argue that a poor playing surface at the Constant Spring Sports Complex is making it very difficult for the team to playing their normal style. They are suggesting that ISSA should consider moving the matches to other venues across the corporate area, where the playing surfaces are much better, in order to improve the standard of the game.

However, Forbes in a recent interview rejected these suggestions, saying that a lot of the playing surfaces all across the corporate area are not much better than the Constant Spring field and his association does not have the money to stage matches elsewhere.

"I don't know about any poor surface. Some of the coaches for whatever reason don't want the matches to be played at Constant Spring," said Forbes.

Tried and tried

"We have tried Harbour View, it didn't work out. We have tried Arnett Gardens it didn't work out. We have tried Waterhouse it didn't work out and Ferdie Neita Park it didn't work out," he said.

"These people charged us a lot of money and we don't collect any money at the gate," Forbes said.

"Harbour View is far, Portmore is far and fear of violence at Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse. Most of the parents do not want their kids in these volatile areas, and so the parents are happy with the matches begin played here," he said.

"All these surfaces are not better than this one here (Constant Spring) and they are charging us a lot of money to host the matches there and so we can't spend good money to collect bad money. That makes no senses."

Sponsors not enough

He added that the money, which they have received from their sponsors is not enough to cover all the expenses and therefore, they have to pay to rent the venue to host matches.

"Look at the surfaces in Jamaica and all of these surfaces that I have called. How many of these surfaces are superior to Constant Spring?"

"We have a duty to make sure that at the end of the season, we are not broke and so why must we spent five hundred thousand to go to the (National) Stadium to make seventy-five thousand," he said.

"The sponsors give us money to run the competition, and so the money that the sponsors give us can't run everything. Therefore, we have to ensure that we spend within our budget," Forbes said.