April 20, 2011
Tivoli Gardens Football Club are on the verge of creating history in Jamaica local football. The West Kingston based team is in line to win the National Premier League title and the all island knock out football competition; the Flow Champions Cup, all in the same season.
No other club has managed to achieve the feat and if Tivoli prevails, it would be a fitting reward for the orange and black clad team who last lifted the Premier League title in the 2008/2009 season and the Champion’s Cup in the 2005/2006 season.
Denise Williams, Marketing Manager at Flow is moved by the passion that has been displayed in this season’s games. “Each team displayed tremendous tenacity and great team spirit throughout the season. We applaud the participating teams that have made this league both exciting and fulfilling. St Georges and Tivoli both have so much to win for and we wish them the best in their game,” she said.
For Tivoli, the journey in the Flow Champions Cup has been torrid, having narrowly been beaten by Harbour View on penalties in the second round and barely eliminating parish team Frazsiers Whip 1-0 in the quarter finals.
According to their head coach Glendon ‘Admiral’ Bailey; these are the things teams have to go through if they want to become champions.
“Football is like that, on any given day you can play your best game and lose and then another day you play your worst game and win; you have to have that mental toughness in order to be successful in the local leagues.”
Bailey, who has been with the club on and off as coach in the last three seasons believes his players are mentally, focused this year to win their third all island knockout football title. “After getting the better of the defending champions Boys Town in the semis I know my players are not going to come this far and not claim the trophy, we are a committed bunch that wants to deliver silverware to the community of Tivoli gardens,” says Bailey.
The teams bid for the championship on Sunday May 8 will rest with inspirational captain Kasai Hinds who has been a tower of strength in the heart of defense.
Much is also expected of the two national representatives in their squad, Kemar Daley and Navion Boyd, the former of whom won the Flow player of the match in the semi finals.
For Daley, this is the year that Tivoli reclaims their spot as the top football club in the land. “We want Tivoli to be champions again, we are currently leading the Premier league and are in the finals of the Flow Champions Cup and we definitely want to win these two trophies.”
The sentiment is the same for veteran goalkeeper Edsel Scott who has been representing Tivoli since his teenage days. “It’s been a couple years since we won a trophy in Jamaica and to get the million dollars and the Flow Cup is high on our agenda this season, it would be great to also win the Premier League, all the hard work that we put in this year would have paid off for us.”
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