JEFFREY EDMUND'S SPORTS PAGES

Part I of the article presented Jeffrey Edmund's contributions to basketball, athletics and cricket and began presenting his exploits on the football field. The article concludes below.

JEFFREY - DEFENDER & MIDFIELDER (Ctd): Firstly, in 1984, Jeffrey joined the "new kids on the block", Gramacademites, which ruffled many feathers upon their arrival on the scene in 1983, and he assisted his team in capturing DFA's Division I League Championship in 1984!

The defensive backline player, midfielder and long-throw specialist that Jeffrey was, he next donned a Saints' uniform following the early exit of Gramacademites from the local football arena.

He next moved down Sout', where he added firepower to the famed Harlem Bombers/United until the early 2000s, continuing to mesmerize his opponents with his long, rocket-like throws. He also captained Harlem for some seasons.

Jeffrey represented his homeland, Dominica, with distinction from 1985 through 2000. He was on Dominica's starting-11 in Windward Islands Football Tournaments, the OECS Football Championship (1985), Caribbean Football Union Qualifiers, and World Cup Qualifiers in 1996.

He also recalls playing in friendly internationals against Guadeloupe (2 draws, 1985), then Martinique, in which Dominica won the first game and drew the other.

As a midfielder, Jeffrey scored many times for his teams and vividly recalls his first goal, a penalty, scored against Grenada.

Before playing on the senior national football team, Jeffrey would have been able to represent Dominica at a "junior" level. In 1982 he was called up on the training squad for selection to represent Dominica in an Under-19 tournament. However, after about six months of training, the players were treated with a "shocker" when the Association announced that Dominica would not be participating in the tournament. What a disappointment!

During the mid-1980s, the Mackeson Football Tournament was a major feature of Dominica's football landscape. That tournament was Dominica's first island-wide football competition involving several area teams. Goodwill was one of the competing teams, and of course, Jeffrey displayed his skills on that team which emerged runners-up to New Town in the 1985 competition and winners of the 1986 edition!

Besides playing national league football, Jeffrey played in 'Off-Season' football leagues around Roseau. He played with Victoria Stars, a.k.a. Reliance Stars, in the Harlem Football League, Greenal Lions in the Goodwill Football League, and Steber Street in the Pottersville Football League.

Furthermore, the bundle of energy that he is, after hanging up his boots in the early 2000s, Edmund took up coaching and served as Head Coach with Harlem United for several years; he was one of the coaches for the now well-established Newtown Juvenile Football Academy; and also performed a stint coaching Dominica's National Under-13 team.

And still another feather in Jeffrey's football cap, he proudly stated that he captained the Dominica Senior National Football Team from 1987 through 1996! Interestingly, in 1995 or 1996, the General Post Office released a 25₵ postage stamp featuring Edmund, the national footballer.

Oh, and in case you didn't know, football is in Jeffrey's family's genes. His younger brother, Paul' Big Truck' Victor, was a 'big man' on Harlem United and may have even outdone his older brother to a certain extent, representing Dominica at three different levels in 2000: the Senior National Team, the Under-20 National Team and the Under-17 National Team. JEFFREY THE SPIKER: Edmund began playing volleyball in the 1980s and played with only two teams in the Dominica Amateur Volleyball Association national league, viz., Hefty Spikers, then Vets. He played in the positions of Left-Front, Right-Font and Centre-Front.

From playing for his clubs, Jeffrey got selected for national duty. He proudly represented Dominica on the National Volleyball Team from the mid-1980s for several years thereafter, participating in several OECS Volleyball Tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s.

Apart from contributing to the sport as a player, Jeffrey also extended his volleyball energies to serving as a coach, performing stints with Hefty Spikers and Vets and the National Volleyball Team.

HIS GLITTERING SILVERWARE: During his sporting career, Jeffrey built up an impressive collection of awards that includes - but is not limited to three Footballer-of-the -Year Awards, five Most Outstanding Defender, one Windward Islands Football Tournament MVP, five DFA Football MVPs; three Volleyball MVP; and Male Sports Personality of the Year (once).

REMARKS: So, that's the man, Jeffrey Edmund and his sports stories. He hung up his national football and volleyball uniforms and boots without fanfare or acknowledgement from the respective sports administrators. But such is life. And as the saying goes, the show must go on! Jump Ball wishes Jeffrey all the best in his endeavours.