“Rungu, Toro, Mao retire.” — Amandala story for Friday, February 11, 1983 edition.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Now that the national September celebrations are officially over, and we have all had a sumptuous dose of nationalism and patriotic fervor in the various events through the course of the month, perhaps it is a good time to take stock of a particularly vexing situation that begs our attention. Particularly during the terrible two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, when, with most social activities being put on hold, and much attention focused on the numbers hospitalized or those dying due to the dreaded disease, there was much time for reflection, especially when very notable individuals were among those who perished. And as things have gradually returned to normal, more and more attention seems to be given to honoring our sporting legends on social media, especially on Facebook where a “Football Hall of Fame of Belize” page often highlights former outstanding players or teams.
On Independence Day, our Belize Women National Team made history with their 2-0 win over Aruba in the Concacaf W Road to Gold Cup tournament in front of a not-so-crowded FFB Stadium. Although it was in the lowest level category, League C, it is still a good omen for our women footballers, who have come a long way in their skills development. Among the Belize players were a few who were outstanding; and notable by their absence were also a couple players who are currently playing professional football abroad or attending university in the U.S. In years to come, after they have retired, a few of those female players will most likely be honored in a still-to-be-installed, Belize National Football Hall of Fame. And that is what we want to focus on today, because it has been a long time coming, and “time is passing by”.
Why a Football Hall of Fame? Why not, should be the question. It has been repeated time and time again, that the past is our foundation for the future. Lucio sang, “No wait till di man dead, fi tell ahm i good.” We have our annual Independence Day awards, and it is a standard for organizations, public and private, to show appreciation and recognition to their employees for their long service and outstanding contribution. Why is it taking so long for sporting organizations in Belize to get it done? Softball gets some recognition through the International Softball Hall of Fame, but is there a Belize National Softball Hall of Fame? And what about our footballers, basketballers, boxers, etc.?
In his 2020 publication, Janus, C.B. Hyde describes in a short chapter on pages 195-196 the process followed in 1990 for the selection and induction of some 80 athletes, 10 each from the 8 major sporting disciplines, into the first ever Belize National Sports Hall of Fame covering a period of approximately fifty years up to the year 1960. Their six-member committee, which C.B. chaired, had also done the groundwork for another induction ceremony for some 40 more individuals for the period 1960-1990, but it didn’t happen.
A few years ago, Amandala Sports threw out some ideas towards such an endeavor in football only, but there was not much response from the public. (See Amandala online article, “Our own Football Hall of Fame” from May 2020.) Perhaps everyone is waiting for the official body in charge of the sport, the Football Federation of Belize (FFB), to initiate the process. In fact, an attempt was begun by the FFB around 2013, under the chairmanship of FFB President Emeritus Delhart Courtney, but the process was sidelined early due to another FFB project. A few years later, in 2017, a group in the US took the initiative and launched their “Belize American Football Hall of Fame” in New York, spearheaded by former national team player Wellington Ramos, and held their first induction ceremony on September 10 of that year.
It is good, but not enough that individual groups, here in the Jewel or in the diaspora, present their own versions of a Hall of Fame, for obvious reasons. The quality of inductees could be somewhat “watered down,” because, while the choice of certain individuals would be unanimous, there are some cases that might be debated. Not everyone who played well would be inducted in the National Hall of Fame, just as not every good player will be able to become a member of the national team; and even so, some become mainstays, while others may only serve for a very short stint. The point is that, like in professional sports in the USA and other countries, each national sport governing body should have its official National Hall of Fame. Because the number of players inducted annually is limited, the recognition and adulation that comes with being selected gives more value and meaning to becoming a National Hall of Fame member.
So, there is an urgency now, because it is way past time for this to be done, as great ballers are passing on every year without hearing their name called among the immortal elites of their sport. It may not matter that much for some, who are comfortable in the knowledge that whenever it is formed, their names will definitely be there on that exclusive list. But it would help greatly for those former great players to be given due recognition now, so that they could gain more respect from the younger generation of players, some of whom, because of the lack of video records of past games, know little of the greatness of some elders whom they pass every day on the streets. Moreover, youths would be more inclined to listen to, and value the advice of some elders if they were aware of their stature in the sport.
To wrap up, we revisit some of our thoughts from 2020:
What really is a “Hall of Fame”? What criteria would a player have to meet in order to be considered worthy to be inducted into our Football Hall of Fame? Whatever his position, be it goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward, would the player not be expected to possess great skill in the game, even if not a complete master of all aspects of the sport? Of course! Would the person be one that other players respect and regard as one to be honored and praised for his performances on the field? Of course! Would he be one that fans would look forward to seeing in action, and indeed, would be so well known for his ability and performance, that many fans would be attracted to the ball park, and willing to pay their money, just to see him play? Indeed! Would he be well-known in football circles, by friend and foe, and in his own way be considered “famous” or a star in Belize football? Agreed! If you were tasked with picking a national team in that time of Belize football, would you be eager to select that player to form a part of your selection? Whatever his shortcomings, do you look upon this player as one that made such a mark upon our Belize football stage in a positive way, that our football culture would not be the same without him. Why not! We could go on. It’s all of the above, and then some. There is no one blue-print for this selection; everything counts. We are free to make up our own criteria, because it is OUR football. But one thing is certain, among the many players that participated in our football competitions, some for only a few years, others for a decade or more at the highest level, there will always be subjective judgements about who were alright, who were good, who were very good, and who were among the best of the best…
The idea of a Hall of Fame is to give honor and show our appreciation to our stars, for the joy they gave us as fans during their time of performance on the field, and thus inspire our young players to strive for greatness in the sport.
Come on, FFB, or is it Ministry of Sports!? Belize at 42 is overdue for its National Football Hall of Fame!