The CAB's Spotlight On The Adventures of Jay Demerit

The CAB's Spotlight is a recurring piece on hot topics in the football world. This edition is on Jay Demerit's courageous journey to the EPL, along with the adventure of the filmmakers who are out to tell his tale.

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By Kayla

Too often in life, people are discouraged from following their dreams.  Whether out of concern or spite, we're talked down from the ledge just as we're about to spread our wings and take flight.  Most people comply, stepping down back into their safe comfort zone.  And then there are people like Jay Demerit, who refused to let any limitations stop him from chasing his dream, whether it be limited amount of funds, rejections from clubs, or lack of a steady place to sleep.

Jay's story starts around the year of 2001. Contrary to the fact that he played for Chicago Fire Premier, Chicago Fire's development team, Jay was not drafted for any Major League Soccer teams after his college graduation.  He spent the time after working at a bar.  Then he did what any sane individual would do: take the advice of a former teammate (Kieren Keane), take advantage of European Union work status, and move to England.  All with only $1,800 to his name.  All for the quest of finding a team to play for because Jay Demerit was not ready to give up.

He crashed in the basement of Kieren Keane's mother's home and embarked on tryout after tryout.  Eventually, Demerit found a spot on Southall's squad in 2003, where he made £40 a week playing for the ninth tier team in England.  The following year Demerit moved up to seventh-tier Northwood.  In the second pre-season match they met up with FC Watford.  Demerit managed to impress Watford's manager Ray Lewington and thus earned a two week trial with the Football League Championship squad.  The result of the trial was a one year contract for the 2004-2005 season.

In Demerit's first season with Watford, the team fought relegation from Championship to League One.  The same was expected for the 2005-2006 season, but the new manager Aidy Boothroyd led the squad to finish third in the league.  This earned them a spot in a playoff where the winner would be awarded the third and final spot for promotion to the Premier League.  In the play-off final on May 21, 2006, Jay Demerit scored the first goal of the 3-0 Watford victory over Leeds United, earning them promotion to the Premier League.  As a result of Demerit's header, he was named Man of the Match and earned a contract extension to the 2008-2009 season.  
 
Demerit was released from Watford in June 2010 after his expired contract was not renewed.  November later that year he was the first player signed for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for their first foray into the MLS for the 2011 season.

Jay Demerit's incredible journey to Europe in pursuit of a chance to play in top flight football is the focus of a documentary entitled Rise and Shine: The Jay Demerit Story. Strangely enough, a story within a story has emerged from the pursuit to have Jay's story told to the masses by means of film. Nick Lewis and Ranko Tutulugdzija are the co-directors and co-producers of the documentary.  A lawyer and an acupuncturist by day, both men set aside their jobs to take on the task of having Jay's story told after they recruited their one-man crew/director of photography Zach Salsman (a 24-year-old fresh out of college that Lewis and Tutulugdzija found online). 


The project took approximately a year and found the crew exploring three different continents as they chased down the people close to Demerit and those who encountered him along his journey to the Premier League.  They also managed to capture Demerit's last match with Watford and Salsman traveled to South Africa on his own to film the 2010 World Cup action, where Demerit started each match, even playing the US's final match against Ghana with a split tongue that later required five stitches.  


The filmmakers have now encountered another hurdle to jump before they can put the film into mass distribution.  They must raise $215,000 to pay for the rights of the World Cup and Premier League footage used in the film.  In their haste to put the project together and their lack of film experience, Lewis and Tutulgdzija did not realize what a hefty price they would have to pay for Donovan's game-winning goal in the US's final group stage match against Algeria ($50,000) and footage from Premier League games runs upwards of $30,000.


This Spotlight is not only to highlight the wonderful drive and motivation of Jay Demerit and the film makers who are desperate to spread the word of Demerit's feat, but to also bring attention to everyone that the film makers are only a few days away from their deadline and are still about $80,000 short.


You can visit the Kickstarter page to pledge any amount of $1 or more.  If you pledge $25 you'll receive the DVD of the film, and the more you pledge the more prizes you'll receive.  You can also check out the official site for the project for more information.


Jay Demerit's story is a rare and wonderful tale of what hard work, motiviation, and endless drive will get you if you never give in. Now it is up to us to ensure the film makers not only have a chance to share Demerit's story but also have a chance to chase their dream just like him.