FROME, Westmoreland

Three-time national champions Reno will return to their traditional home at the Frome Sports Club this season after playing most of the last two Premier League seasons in St Elizabeth.

Reno’s Technical Director Wendell Downswell told the Observer West yesterday that they hoped they would be able to play their first home game when the season opens at the newly refurbished Frome grounds.

The Frome grounds has been undergoing repairs for over 18 months but reports are that the repairs have been completed and upon passing inspection by the Jamaica Football Federation, will be open for business.

“There is no place like home,” Downswell said adding the club was eager to return to their traditional home just outside of Sav-La-Mar.

He said the return hope would also be welcomed by the fans, many of whom he said were forced to miss games due to the cost it took to travel to Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth where they played home games for the majority of the last two seasons.

Deterioration to the playing surface at Frome during the 2006-07 season forced Reno to move to the St Elizabeth Technical High complex.

The move had caused some friction between the club and the Westmoreland Football Association whose president Everton Tomlinson had described the move then as premature and questioned the motives.

Downswell said while they appreciated the kindness extended to them by the St Elizabeth FA and the people of St Elizabeth over the past two seasons, it was good to be returning home.

If for any reason the field was not ready for the second week of the season when they expected to play their first home game, Downswell said they were hoping they would be able to start playing games at Frome by the latest mid October.

The notoriously loyal Reno fans he said would also appreciate the move back home as it would cost less to see their favourite team play.

Downswell estimated it would cost each patron a minimum $1,000 to see Reno play home games as it costs about $500 to travel form Sav-La-Mar to Santa Cruz; $300 to get into the game and a further $200 for refreshment.

With taxi fare from Sav-La-Mar to Frome being about $50, that would be a significant reduction on the fans he said.