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The establishment of the KSAFA was a direct response to the requirement set out in the draft Constitution of its parent body, the Jamaica Football Association (JFF). Each of the fourteen (14) parishes in the island of Jamaica was required to constitutionalize itself in preparation for the transformation of the Jamaica Football Association (JFA) to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) at a specially convened meeting. KSAFA was assigned the responsibility for controlling, monitoring and/or organizing football in the two (2) Corporate Area parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew called KSAFA CONFEDERATION. In the earlier years, 1965-1973, the KSAFA administration ran Division I - III Competitions as well as the Senior KO for Division I teams and the Junior KO for Division II and III teams. The leadership of the association was largely directed by cricket clubs or non-specialist football clubs such as Melbourne, Lucas, Kingston & YMCA. The election of Ralph Bardowell, Real Mona FC, towards the latter part of the period represented the beginning of the end of the domination by the traditional Cricket Clubs. Dubbed a "nice guy", Bardowell vacillated in making the transition. His successor, Locksley Comrie, Boys' Town FC, marked the beginning of the shift to community based specialist football clubs. Henry Miller
After being off the scene for some time, former JFA official , Henry Miller was elected the first President of KSAFA at the inaugural Congress. The former Jamaica College and National football representative, led a Council which included Conrad Bell (YMCA) - 1st Vice President; Tino Barovier (Kingston Club) - 2nd Vice President; Glen Neil Dyer - Honorary Secretary and Barry Cross (Police National) - Honorable Treasurer. Others elected as KSAFA's Delegates to the upcoming JFF Congress were: George Prescod (Lucas), Derrick Tomkinson (Liguanea), Lloyd Taylor (KSAC), Lester Richards (YMCA), George Abrahams (YMCA). The inaugural KSAFA Congress clamoured for changes in the JFF's recently drafted constitution which entitled KSAFA 10 votes. The KSAFA Affiliates asked its Executive to draft a resolution to be presented at the meeting of the Federation set for Mandeville, May 31, 1965. Such a resolution should seek to reflect KSAFA's proposal that the number of votes allocated to each parish should be based on the level of development of their representative Division I Competition. The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the JFF, Norman Hill, who was at the KSAFA Congress, supported KSAFA and said he will be seeking a reconsideration at the next meeting of the JFF. At the first JFF inaugural Congress, the Rural Parishes swept eleven (11) of the thirteen (13) positions on the Executive. Dr. Ron Gordon of Manchester defeated Normal Hill to become the 1st President of the JFF. KSAFA President Henry Miller was defeated 41 - 17 by one of his own delegates, George Abrahams, for the post of 1st Vice President. Thereafter, KSAFA declined nomination for all other posts. One of the task of the Henry Miller administration was to integrate the KSAFA teams who had hitherto participated in and formed the majority of teams in the Jamaica Football Association Division I Competition. Eight (8) Division I teams vied for the newly created Arthur McKenzie trophy, named in honor of Arthur McKenzie, the outstanding St. George's College Old Boys' and Life Member of the JFA (1962). In September of 1965, a KSAFA eleven defeated Excelsior of Haiti 11-0 in an international friendly. George Prescod, of Lucas, described Henry Miller as a "Jamaica White" of upper middle class background but "very down to earth". His tenure lasted for one (1) year. L.H. "Bunny" McLean
Attorney-At-Law, L.H. "Bunny" McLean was elected the 2nd President of KSAFA after staving off a challenge from Arthur McKenzie of St. Georges's College Old Boys. Tino Barovier moved from 2nd Vice President to 1st Vice President whilst Glen Neil Dwyer and Barry Cross retained the post of Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer respectively. The former Excelsior Manning Cup player and National representative, Bunny McLean, brought to KSAFA his experience after serving in various Executive capacities in football. The most recent of these was being 2nd Vice President, JFA 1964/65. One of the decisions of the Bunny McLean led administration was to increase the number of teams in the Division I League from eight (8) to eleven (11). The 1966/67 Competition thus comprised: Railway, Cavalier, Liguanea, Real Mona, Jamaica Regiment, Lucas, Kingston, YMCA, Boys' Town, Santos and St. George's Old Boys. Frank Brown, of Railway, was voted the Diamond Mineral Footballer of the year 1966/67. During his tenure, McLean also sought to twin the clubs with the communities from which they operated as well as to open KSAFA meetings to the Press. Both proposals met with resistance from the Executive. The Bunny McLean administration lasted for one year. Thereafter, McLean spent the next seven (7) years (1967- 1973) as President of the Minor League Football Association. Both the Minor League FA and KSAFA conferred on him the honour of Life Member. Benvenuto Cecil "Tino" Barovier
Broadcasting & Sales Executive, Benvenuto Cecil "Tino" Barovier, was elected unopposed at the 3rd Congress of KSAFA 1967/68. The Italian born Tino brought to the Executive a wealth of experience in football administration. The former St. George's College Manning Cup player, was elected Assistant Secretary of the JFA in 1960 and moved to the post of Secretary in 1962. He is considered the architect of the JFF's Constitution in 1965 and worked tirelessly with the organization to ensure it's international development and recognition. No major structural changes occurred during Barovier's administration. At the 4th Annual General Meeting of May 15, 1969, amendments were made to the KSAFA Constitution. After demitting office, Tino went on to become president of the JFF in 1973. Both the JFF and KSAFA conferred on him the honour of Life Member in 1975 and 1992 respectively. Boys' Town and Santos dominated the Division I League and Division II League during the period. In 1969/70 Boys' Town gained their first lien on the Arthur McKenzie Trophy, and the Club's Theophilus "Toto" Branch emerged as the League's top scorer.
Ralph Bardowell
Garment manufacturer and dry goods merchant, Ralph Bardowell attended the 1971//72 Congress as the Real Mona representative and was elected the 4th President of KSAFA. Bardowell was more known for his contribution to officiating. He was President of the Jamaica Football Referees' Association (JFRA) and one of the first Jamaicans to be appointed FIFA Referee. His most notable match was Jamaica vs Nautico of Brazil in 1971. He was also of cricket fame and, in 1940, shared in many record opening partnership with former West Indies cricketer, Allan Rae, whilst representing Wolmers Boy's School in the Sunlight Cup. Ralph Bardowell had a new Secretary of the Association in the personality of Locksley Comrie , Boy's Town FC. Comrie agitated for the establishment of an office for the KSAFA. The Ralph Bardowell administration was racked with internal differences, between Bardowell and the younger members, over the pace direction of the Association's development. His Secretary favored the movement towards community based football and playing of more games on home ground, whilst other members of the leadership favored retention of the status quo. Bardowell often threatened to resign. Real Mona captured the Division I Title to gain their first lien on the Authur McKenzie Trophy 1971/72. They were assisted by the cross over of outstanding players of the ilk as Allan "Skill" Cole, Lenford & Leaford Hardie, Leonard "Chicken" Mason and Devon Jeffery from Santos FC to their club.
Lockslie Comrie
Civil Engineer, Lockslie Comrie, defeated the reluctant Ralph Bardowell to ascend to the Presidency at the 1972/73 Congress. It marked the first time in the Association's history that the President was elected from an inner city club - Boys' Town. With the exception of the experienced Honorary Treasurer, Barry Cross, the Executive was a concentration of young minds. Vice Presidents were Trevor "Jumpy" Harris and Vaughn "Bunny" Goodison. The "Fire Band" President sought to bring order to the competition by reducing the number of postponements and frequency of Referees' absence from matches. His administration also worked with the Sports Development Commission in the communities, and revived Primary School Football Competition. He was a strong advocate for the community development and recognition of players. Under his administration many football matches took place on home grounds as opposed to the National Stadium. At the Presentation of Awards Ceremony held at Desnoes & Geddes, the support garnered from the public enabled the Treasurer to distribute $2,867.00 to participating Clubs. Other awards were:
After leaving the KSAFA, Comrie went on to become 1st Vice President of the JFF in 1973 and President in 1975. He played a leading role in the formation of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). Neville Glanville
Neville Glanville administration marked a new era in football development for the KSAFA Confederation. The Congress of 1973/74 unanimously adopted the resolution to revamp the existing structure and to adopt the philosophy of community based football clubs. The traditional domination of KSAFA leadership by representatives from cricket clubs gave way to personnel committed to community based specialist football clubs. Other members of the Executive were:
Vice President, Russell Bell, writing in "KSAFA Plans New Football Deal" sums up the new philosophy. "With the clear understanding that it is illogical to promote or encourage activities which in reality act against the true development of the people; and with the forceful vision that it is essential that we afford the youth a progressively organized program, we are forced to promote football on a community basis." Under the new scheme, the Division I, II and III structures were revamped and replaced by a single League - the Major League. The 1973/74 inaugural Major League brought out thousands of spectators to the sport. Media coverage was extensive as was the debate concerning the merit of the new look competition. The Competition kicked off on September 22, 1973, and some 32 goals were scored. Nascimento defeated National Reserve 7-0, Golden Aces swamped Hill Stars 8-0, Boys' Town scored a record 14-0 over Great West and Real Mona edged UWI 2-1. Boy's Town took the Arthur McKenzie trophy with 8-0 victory over Nascimento, in the final, to pocket $717. The Champion defeated a Bermuda National team 2-1 in a thrilling encounter at the National Stadium on 23rd April, 1974. The Glanville led administration continued to excite the public's interest in the second year of the Competition, 1974/5. Cavalier FC returned to the fold and captured the title defeating Harbour View 1-0. Neville Oxford was voted MVP, and $10,000 was distributed to the 25 participating teams. The council conducted a coaching seminar at Lyssons, St. Thomas. The Administration put out its second publication "10 years of balling" which summarized the 1974-75 season and took a critical look at National Football Development. Hugh Buchanan replaced Dennis Smith as Secretary and was shortly succeeded by Marcia Bryan. The KSAFA Congress of 1975/76 resolved to challenge the Tino Barovier leadership at the biennial Congress of the Jamaica Football Federation scheduled for September 16, 1975 at the Port Antonio Town Hall. Among the issues of concerns were:
At the JFF's Congress, Barovier did not stand for re-election and Glanville challenged Lockslie Comrie and was defeated 45-22. Glanville was also defeated for the post of 1st Vice president by St. Elizabeth's Neville Lewis. National Club Champion, Santos FC, entered the Major League for the first time in the 1975/76 season. There was a press blackout on the competition and KSAFA published its own newsletter called Major League News. Boys' Town defeated Tivoli Gardens 4-3 to gain their second lien on the Major League. Ali McNab finished the season as top goal scorer with 18 goals. Glanville demitted office at the end of the 1975/76 season. He went on to become President of the Trelawny FA 1976/77. In 1992 he was made Honorary Life Member of KSAFA. David 'Billy' Marston
Bank of Jamaica Executive, former St. George's College Manning Cup & Real Mona player, David 'Billy' Marston , was elected unopposed at the 1976/77 Congress. He was the second Real Mona representative to be elected to the Corporate area's top post. Marston was ably assisted by Vice Presidents Russell Bell, Carvel Stewart and Treasurer Alfred Simms. The 1976/77
season found the Marston administration drawn into several controversies:
Arnett Gardens took the title when they stopped Boy's Town 2-0. George 'Bald Head" Henry was voted MVP 1976/77. Linnel McLean The Linnel McLean Years-1991/92-1995/96
Businessman Linnel McLean succeeded David Marston as the 7th president of KSAFA at the 27th Annual Congress held at the Institute of Sports in the autumn of 1991 . Mclean’s ascendancy to the marquee post was a culmination of his rapid promotion through the ranks of football administration in Jamaica. Some 4 years earlier, the Guelph University graduate, attended his first KSAFA Congress as the Liguanea United FC delegate. Here, he was elected asst. treasurer, and over succeeding years moved up to the post of 1st vice president. As Marston’s understudy, he was elected to and attended JFF’s executive meetings at a time when the KSAFA had adopted the policy of ‘critical support’ to the JFF led Tony James administration. By 1991 he was invited to and won the post of treasurer demitting office to Capt Horace Burrell at the Federation’s 1992 GC Foster Congress. Mclean’s 1991/1992 administration comprised Carvel Stewart-1st vice president; Geoffrey Maxwell-2nd vice president; Vermont Samuda-general secretary; Dougal Campbell- asst secretary;Walter Gordon-treasurer and Buchanan asst. treasurer. At that time, members of the Council were elected annually and therefore in the ensuing years there were regular changes which could be likened to a revolving door. By 1993 ,league director, Dougal Campbell moved up to the general secretary post; and on migrating to Canada in 1994,was succeed by Ansel Lee at the Excelsior High School Congress. Other changes at the 1994 congress witnessed the movement of Business House president Richard Nathan to the post of the 1st vice president ;Minor League FA/Ken Matthews representative Carlton Dennis to 2nd vice president; Business House treasurer Hughlett Dyght promoted from asst. to lead ’tight fist’ treasurer and City League representative on council Berome Edwards ,upward mobility to the post of asst treasurer. Veteran Basil Waite returned to the fold and was elected asst general secretary unopposed. For the next two years up to the end of the 1996, the musical chairs subsided. However, based on the experience of instability and in order to afford more long term planning, it was not surprising therefore that the Linnel McLean administration pre-circulated two amendments one of which called for increasing the life of the Council from one to two years. The resolution for a bi-annual election congress was adopted at the 1996 Annual General Meeting held at the Life of Jamaica auditorium. The newly elected Stewart Stephenson administration that succeeded was to the first to inherit the McLean legacy. In retrospect, the following summarises the Linnel McLean years:
McLean, with nobody set to oppose him, relinquished the Presidency at the next elections. His Presidency was not blessed with sponsorship support, but there were many positives. He showed all local football the importance of game gate management. The football structure in Kingston and Saint Andrew was revamped under his Presidency and all programmes to facilitate the growth of the sport were in place, (just waiting on funding). Hence KSAFA’s now dominant position in local football. Carlton Barclay
Chartered Accountant & Corporate Fundraiser of Duhaney Park FC, Carlton Barclay was elected the 11th President of the KSAFA at the Association’s 37th Congress held in October 2002 at the Sports Club of the Gleaner Co Ltd. The Financial Controller of Jamaica National Building Society (JN), had the full backing of his employer, and armed with this endorsement, swept the Congress by beating back the Ali McNab slate with the promise of cutting edge technology and a paradigm shift ably crafted by his ally Orville Marshall the then President of Duhaney Park FC. The Barclay Council comprised:
Affiliate members :
The Carlton Barclay administration served a little over year as he shortly resigned due to pressure of work as well as the twin responsibilities of President of KSAFA and Treasurer of the Jamaica Football Federation. By March 2004 he handed over the Presidency to Orville Marshall who was elected by acclaim by the KSAFA Council as per the constitution. During his tenure, the Carlton Barclay administration achieved the following:
Barclay was elected Treasurer and Patrick Roberts 3rd Vice- President in the new JFF administration. Orville Marshall
Business Manager and IT Specialist Consultant, Orville Marshall was ratified as the 12th President at a specially convened meeting of KSAFA Affiliates in March 2004. Starting in football administration at Park Rovers FC in 1997 , and wearing many hats such as the President of Duhaney Park FC, Vice President of Park Rovers FC as well as Public Relations Officer of the Masters League, Marshall took over the reigns of KSAFA mid–stream; a virtual ‘night watchman’. Marshall continued with the same Council members as under Carlton Barclay with the exception of Assistant Secretary Gregory Simms whose position remained vacant for the remainder of his administration. His ascendancy to the leadership was strengthened by his apprenticeship as former General Secretary of KSAFA as well as a serving as a JFF Board member. He immediately moved to Chairman of the KSAFA Confederation and a Member of the JFF Management Committee. He pointed to the following achievements of his administration:
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