FOR too long the playing fields of many of the teams in the nation’s top-tier football competition have come in for criticism for being below acceptable standards.

Local football boss Captain Horace Burrell has intensified his cry of late, calling on corporate interests to assist with resources towards helping teams in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) improve their fields.

But Cedric Blair, the managing director of title sponsors Red Stripe, has another view; one that would see a concentration of resources towards fewer venues.

He insists that a feasible option is to have the 12 RSPL clubs share six to eight stadia which possess good playing surfaces and better overall facilities.

“One of the things I’ve said, both privately and publicly is that, in my view we should be looking to have fewer fields, but of better quality… maybe six to eight venues,” Blair told the Jamaica Observer.

Although he said Red Stripe has not allocated funds to help finance that move, he explained that the company would be interested if and when such a decision is taken.

Eyeing the potential increase in appeal of the country’s top talents strutting their stuff on better surfaces, and ultimately improved returns on Red Stripe’s investment, Blair said he is not averse to combining forces with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) on a plan of action.

“We haven’t earmarked funds for that, but it is something we advocate for and will continue to advocate for. Better quality fields and better facilities are going to make for better games so that’s something we absolutely support. We need to work with the PLCA [and] the JFF to improve the facilities in which we operate,” he said.

The brewing company boss gave the example of the iconic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro being home to both Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan and AC Milan.

“Everyone may not share this view, but when we look at leagues in other countries which are more prosperous, there is AC Milan and Inter Milan sharing the same stadium,” Blair reasoned.

Andrew Hines, the head coach of former champions Harbour View FC, likes the idea, but said that choosing which fields to use and arranging the distribution of gate receipts would have to be properly explored.

“It’s not a bad idea and I don’t have a problem with it. With the current situation, the fields would warrant us doing that, but they would have to find a way to manage aspects of it.

“Some of those fields don’t offer any advantage to a team. If the surface is good, it is an advantage to everybody. If it is bad, it is a disadvantage to everybody,” he said.

Less than a month into the 2014-15 campaign, Hines is already lamenting the impact that substandard surfaces have had on the quality of the football.

“It’s very difficult to ask for quality football when there are not good surfaces to play on. It takes away from the effort of the coaches because one would wonder if the teams are being coached; players being flustered and can’t control the ball, among other things. It affects the psyche of the players and they lose confidence,” he said.

Hines admitted, however, that some teams missing out on playing on their home patch “is not what everybody would want”.

The head coach of Cavalier SC Rudolph Speid said he supported playing on good quality fields, but he too, was sympathetic towards clubs who may miss out.

He explained to the Observer that the crippling, islandwide water shortage experienced in the middle of the year set back a number of the clubs in their field preparations ahead of the new football season.

“We had a terrible drought this year and some of the fields were not up to standard. The truth is you must always protect the quality and integrity of the league by trying to play on the best fields so that the players can give a better performance,” said the former Kingston & St Andrew Football Association president.

“But clubs need the home support and the money that comes from playing at home. That is why a lot of clubs, knowing that their fields are not up to standard, are really forcing the issue to play there.

Speid added: “I agree that we should try to play on the best fields, but I have a feeling that the support would dwindle and clubs would eventually lose their hardcore fan base and money in the long run.” Cavalier play their home matches at the Stadium East facility, which at the moment, boasts a lush-green field.

Nigel Stewart, the head coach of Sporting Central Academy, acknowledged the importance of each team having a home base, but said he welcomed any decision which helps to push the game forward.

“It would be good for all 12 teams to have a perfect or close to a perfect field because it is hard for a team to leave their home supporters and go to another field. But if it is going to happen for the betterment of football, then I have no problem,” he declared.

In conclusion, Stewart, whose team plays home matches at the widely acclaimed Juici Park, said he feels some clubs can put more effort into field preparation and maintenance.

“There are teams, I think, who can do a bit better in terms of fixing their fields. The surface is very important to move the ball, to control the ball and to kick the ball,” stressed the coach of the Clarendon-based club.