Grenades F.C.

History

The Grenades Football Club has its genesis and foundation in the Nurse Park United Football Team. The Nurse Park United Football Team was founded by Edson Joseph, Fitzgerald Ponde, Enrick Boatswain, and Murray Joseph. The players were mainly from what was formally called Middle Jennings which included the areas of Alley, Bottom Alley, and the main road from Cedar Hall corner to the Christian Mission Church. It also included players from Top-village and Peas Alley.

These players were Enrick “Tony” Boatswain (the first Captain), Nigel Boatswain, Sylvester Boatswain (GK), Earl Smith, Keithlyn Simon, Jefferson Whyte, Murray Joseph, Everton “Fab” Cornelius, Henley Tonge, Ivan “Billas” Jarvis, Julian Joseph, Walton Edwards, Gladsworh Richards, Verdon “Healthy Man “ Jarvis, Devon “Ripple” Simon, Lettsome Parker, Ian “Ola” Tonge, Kenny Smith, Ian Bailey, Steadman Ralph, Glen Miller, Linroy Miller, Gladsworth Richards and Hilroy Richards. After its first season in the A.F.A. First Division, the Nurse Park United was sponsored by the Darkwood Beach Bar whose proprietor is Mr. Clyde George.

Objectives/Purpose The Grenades football club was founded on the principles of mutual respect, fair-play, discipline and excellence. The main purpose for creation of the Grenades Football Club was to harness the latent talents and creative abilities of the Youths in the Jennings/Ebenezer and surrounding communities. This development would include fostering academic excellence, positive character formation, leadership development, and athletic skills.

We executed our game plan on the 5 Ps of football, Passing, Possession, Position, Pace, Pressure.

Passing The ball can move quicker than any player and the team that passes the ball quicker, more accurately and consistently should win the game.

Possession The ball is the most valuable item on the field. Maintaining greater possession and skillful use of the ball can help to win the game; without it we cannot.

Pressure When we have the ball, we apply psychological pressure on the opposition by utilizing the space in the opponent’s half of the field and taking the ball closer to the opponent’s goal.

Position When our opponent has the ball, we are organized to fill spaces on the field as decided by our team’s formation.

Pace

Time your passes and runs. When individuals make passes, it is important that the pace and timing of the player to receive the pass is well calculated so that a player arrives as the ball arrives. This timing enables him to avoid the offside rule

Our goal was to be the premier football club, in Jennings, St. Mary's, and eventually the national champions

How it all happened In the 1986/87 football season when the Jennings Football Club was promoted to the Antigua Football Association Premier Division, five (5) main players of Nurse Park United namely Walton Edwards, Gladsworh Richards, Devon Simon, Enrick Boatswain and Nigel Boatswain were recruited to play with the Jennings Football Team. As a result of the request for the players, the Nurse Park United and the Jennings Football Club had discussions. Arising out of these discussions, the Jennings Football Club became the Jennings United Football Club and Nurse Park United became Jennings II.

A few years later, the former Manager of Nurse Park United Edson Joseph felt that the players from the Nurse Park United were underutilized and therefore were not able to develop their skills. Additionally, it was felt that political influence had led to the marginalization on other talented players, which also was leading to a breakdown of discipline. Consequently, he convened a meeting with the former players of Nurse Park United and the Current players of Jennings II teams. Out of that meeting it was agreed that players from Middle Jennings and Top-Jennings would come together and form a team. Several names were proposed, but the name agreed on was Hand Grenade which was suggested by Nigel Boatswain. The name was voted and approved as the Grenades F.C. The Grenades Football Club was founded in 1991 and competed in the 1991/92 season in the Second Division and gained promotion to the A.F.A First Division.

It was an established policy that the Grenades Football Club would not carry the name of any Political personality on its Uniform. The team was a consistent performer in the Antigua Football Association First Division and usually came either third or fourth. However, in the 1996/97 it defeated every team in the first division. This was a season where only five goals were scored on the Grenades team. The goalkeepers were Gerald “Collimore” Hasford and Hughann “wolf” Riley.

The Club was sponsored by Walts Supermarket for four (4) years, two (2) years by Bertrand Joseph, and three (3) years the team was self-sponsored through Rolston King, Leroy Henry and Mervyn Parker marking fields for the Antigua Football Association on behalf of the Club. The team went through a restructuring and rebuilding process and was sponsored by past players of the Club who live in the United States. During these years the core of the players came from the Bolans community. The Greanade Club has always had players from other villages to include Bolans, Urlings, Willikies, Liberta, Golden Grove and Grays Farm.

Despite such an impressive record, the Grenades Football Club was denied the opportunity to participate in the Premier League in the 1997/98 season due to poor investigation and management of the complain process. The club that we defeated in our final game to gain promotion found itself in third position and protested that we played with Rolston King who had a red card. When the 1997/98 season began, it started with the third place team playing in the Premier Division. Subsequently, the Grenades Club was notified that the record could not confirm the protest filed by the third place club, but that the competition had already started and a reversal of the earlier decision would disrupt the competition and cause chaos.

During the later 1980s and the early to mid1990s, several players who started their football career with either the Nurse Park Club/Grenades gained selection to national team. These include Stevie Edwards GK, Jerome Crump, Gladsworh Richards, David Leadette, Robbin Roberts, and Walton Edwards.

Today, we can say proudly we have succeeded in accomplishing all our goals except winning the Premier Davison Championship. After two (2) of coming fourth in the Premier Division, we believe this is the year for the Grenade Football Club to win the Championship.

Grenades Players who subsequently became Coach of the Club Neil “Badnews”Lewis Jerome “goggles” Crump Mervyn “Dunga” Parker Bernard “hammer” Simon Oliver “Bones” Joseph

Other Coahes Foster Simon “Nashi” Wesley “Nadley” Dyer John Lloyd Vaughn “Joey” Christopher Derick “Pretty-Boy” “Shabba” Edwards

Captains of Grenades through the Years Enrick “Tony” Boatswain Gladswoth Richards Everton “Fab” Cornelius Nigel “Thread”Boatswain Murray “Abanaba” Joseph Glen “Cody” Miller Wentworth “Arbo” Browne Rolston King Mervyn Parker Randy Samuel

Grenades joined the Premier Division in 2013–14, finishing fourth in their first season.