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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 20 2002 : 9:46:52 PM
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Jamaica's Football History
The actual date of the introduction of football in Jamaica, or
the individual to whom the credit belongs s is not on
record. However, it would seem that it was in the 1880s (1883
to be precise), that football first (seen at top) made its appearance on Jamaica's playfields, thanks to Reverend G.C. Hendricks who fielded the York Castle school eleven.
For the next sixty years, senior football was almost the sole
preserve of private clubs, most of which were originally formed with
cricket as the number one sport. Kingston Cricket Club was first
among clubs to introduce it, though many of its members were jealous
of the popularity of the new game.
The inaugural meeting of the 'Martinez
Association Football Cup', the first recorded organised competition,
took place on the October 6, 1906. Former Governor, Sir Sydney
Olivier (1910) and Sir William Manning (1914) donated trophies to be
played for by schoolboys. (The daCosta Cup came into being in 1949).
For the most part, the game was located in the Corporate Area
(Kingston and St Andrew), under the auspices of the Jamaica Football
Association which was founded in 1910. They were called senior
teams. Of all the other parishes, only St James had an organised
team in the 1940s in Montego Bay called the St James eleven, with
Lester Alcock being the outstanding player. The game was mostly
disorganised in the other parishes. In Kingston, club teams such as
Railway, Kingston, Army local, Army foreign (members were English
soldiers stationed in Jamaica), Kensington, St George's Old Boys,
Lucas, YMCA were the major competitive teams.
The first national team was selected in 1925 and played
neighbours Haiti in a three-match series, winning 2-1, 3-0 and
1-0.From then onwards, the national team, which rarely played
a game, would have been picked almost exclusively from members of Kingston teams, with the exception of a player or two from Montego Bay. To play two international games in the same year was a rarity before 1962, as there were no
international competitions in which the team was involved.
Most of the games were Friendlies, for which teams were hastily put
together by a part-time coach under the influence of the team
captain, who was much more influential at that time. Haiti, Trinidad
and Tobago and Cuba were the chief opponents. Interest in the
international game was never very high, as cricket was the premier
sport among Jamaicans then, and it did no help that games were few
and far between.
Probably the biggest and most publicized games of the Jamaica
Football Association era, would be a series of three matches between
a Caribbean All Stars and a Jamaica selection in 1950 at Sabina
Park. Jamaican
professionals such as Gillie Heron, as well as Lindy Delapena, who
plied his trade in England at the time, represented Jamaica
alongside top local-based players.
Players from Surinam, Trinidad, Cuba and Haiti made up the All Stars
team. On the other hand, Club football flourished and became very
popular, and it would not be uncommon to see large crowds at games
throughout the Corporate Area in the late fifties. Auther McKenzie,
Claude McMorris and Noel Hall of St George's Old Boys, Smith of
Melbourne, Henry Miller of Kingston Club, Lester Alcock of Montego
Bay and Printing Office in Kingston,Bobby Williams and 'Digger'
Largie were some of the top players of that era.
Jamaica Football Federation
The Jamaica Football Federation, (JFF) which is the current ruling
body in Jamaica, was formed in 1962 and accepted as a full member by
FIFA. The reorganisation became necessary as players throughout the
entire country prepared to take part in the regional Central
American and Caribbean games which were to take place at the new
National Stadium in Kingston.
An effort was made for each parish to form its own association, and
it was decided the Jamaica Football Federation would be the body
which would oversee these fragmented organizations.
The country then began to take its national team seriously,
and the first foreign coach, George Penna, a Brazilian, was
hired to handle the team's preparation. It was then that the
national team began to receive anything for their efforts -
their personal playing gears. Before then, team members were
required to provide their own boots and shorts,
while after each international game, there was an official at the
door to the change-room ready to receive every jersey and sock,
loaned to the players by the JFA. Players were expected to play with
only one motivation - the love of the game. No money, clothes, food
etc. were given to anyone. After one game in 1951, players were
given envelopes which were said to contain money. However, when they
were torn open, not one penny was found. However, they never failed
to give unqualified dedication to the team. Through it all, Pinkie
Smith would row his boat from his home in Port Royal, dock at King
Street, jog to Sabina Park, play for Jamaica and returned home by
the same route. Players such as Henry Largie, Syd Bartlett, Frank
Brown and James Bradford were some of the leading lights in the
early sixties. Penna was rehired to prepare the national team for
the British Commonwealth games in 1966, which were also held at the
National Stadium. However, more significantly was that he also
prepared them for their first try at qualifying for the World Cup -
England 1966.
The team, comprised of goalkeepers Don Clarke and Duke Fuller, Frank
Brown, Henry Largie and Erkle Vaz played defence while Syd Bartlett,
Jackie Bell and Neville Glanville were in midfield. Oscar Black,
Lascelles Dunkley, Art Welch and Asher Welch were up front. They
beat Cuba and Netherland Antilles in the Caribbean zone and moved to
the CONCACAF playoffs with Mexico and Costa Rica. They played Mexico
at the National Stadium and lost 2-3 before losing 7-0 in Mexico
City. They went to Mexico on the day of the game - 9am, played at
noon, and were on the airplane at 3pm. They went in, played, lost,
packed and came home on the same day. After the tough conditions at
in the rarefied air of Mexico City, many players suffered from
respiratory illnesses. They did not get time to recuperate, however,
as they flew to Costa Rica the following day and they lost 0-3. The
team returned home and prepared to meet Costa Rica in the return
game, but the Central Americans did not show up, citing that Mexico
had already taken the single World Cup spot.
The organization of the game changed in the seventies, as the game
switched from being principally club-based to community-based. The
clubs suffered, as many members shifted allegiance to their
community teams. However, the game expanded nationally in the same
period, as teams mushroomed in major towns of most parishes. There
were some negatives however, as many clubs assumed a political
stance and with it came the specter of violence at games. Also, some
players who did not identify with any of these communities stopped
their involvement with the game.
The national team achieved a tremendous feat in 1972 when they beat
regional kingpins Mexico in Olympic qualifying competition. The
expansion continued, and Jamaica entered the Caribbean Football
Union's regional competition six years later. In the meantime,
schoolboy football had taken on wings, and the game was played in
almost every school in the island, from primary to tertiary. When
the eighties rolled around, the game was arguably as popular as
cricket, and the Premier and Major leagues, as well as community
leagues were played throughout the week, especially on Saturday and
Sunday evenings. Boys Town, Cavalier, Arnett Gardens, Tivoli
Gardens, Santos, Reno, Harbour View and Nascimento were some of the
leading teams.
Captian Horace Burrell
Jamaica tasted success for the first time in organised international
competition when they won the Caribbean Football Union title (Shell
Cup) in 1991, and two years later, they performed creditably in the
CONCACAF Gold Cup, placing third under the leadership of coach Carl
Brown, himself a former national player. In June 1994, Captain
Horace Burrell, a retired army officer and vice- president of the
Caribbean Football Union (CFU), was elected president of the Jamaica
Football Federation, replacing attorney Heron Dale.
Burrell lined up corporate support for the vision of Jamaican
football - a Brazilian coach and qualification for the World
Cup in four years time. His view was that it was essential to
attract the corporate support to build the rest of the
football programme. He asked the government for help in
identifying a coach in Brazil and brought business leaders on
board.
New coach Rene Simoes came to Jamaica in October 1994 to assume the
position of national technical director of football. He immediately
set about instilling his own philosophy, that of hard work and rigid
discipline among the players. In stark contrast to the past, members
of the national squad were paid a decent salary, courtesy of members
of the business community, and lived permanently at one location in
Kingston - the Football hospice at Shortwood Road in Kingston.
International games became a regular fixture at the national
stadium, and the team was taken on one-month camps to Brazil in
January 1995 and1996. They also went to Africa in '95 and Argentina
in '96. In 1995, the team progressed rapidly and was voted the 'Best
Movers of the year' by FIFA. They improved from being ranked 96 in
the world to 40.
Professor Simoes
The qualifying stages for the 1998 World Cup in France began in
March 1996, and by the end of the year, after playing ten games,
they topped the CONCACAF semi-final qualifying round with a 1-0
victory over Mexico at the National Stadium on November 16, 1996.
One year later, November 17, Jamaica, now popularly known as the
Reggae Boyz, finished third in the CONCACAF final round for the
first time, earning a spot to the World Cup in France along with
Mexico and the United States. This was the first time the an
English-speaking caribbean country had qualified for the World Cup.
In the tournament, they played in Group H, alongside Argentina, and
two first-timers, Japan and Croatia. Jamaica lost 1-3 to Croatia in
the first game, with Robbie Earle scoring for the Reggae Boyz. They
then lost 0-5 to Argentina before beating Japan 2-1 in the final
game of the preliminary round, with both goals coming from
midfielder Theodore Whitmore.
Jamaica won the Shell Cup again in 1998, beating Trinidad and Tobago
2-1 in the final. Coach Rene Simoes re-signed for four more years
with the Jamaica Football Federation in September, 1998.
Since then, Simoes resigned in March 2000, to take up a job at
Flamengo Club in Brazil.
He was replaced by another Brazilian, Sebastiao Lazaroni, who only
served for six weeks before handing in his resignation. Yet another
Brazilian coach, Clovis de Oliveira took up the post in early July, 2001.
He directed the team through the qualifying stages of the unsuccessful 2002 World Cup campaign, but was fired in September 2002.
One of his deputies, Carl Brown, who coached the team in the early 90s, was appointed Technical Director.
Youth football.
Jamaica has made great strides in youth football over the years. They qualified for the Under-17 World Championships in New Zealand in 1999 and also qualified for the World Youth Championships (U-20) in 2001, played in Argentina. Currently, there is an Under 15, Under 17, Under 20 and Under 23 programme in place. There ids also a women’s Under 19 squad in place.
Women’s football
Jamaica now has a vibrant women’s programme, with competition taking place in high schools and clubs.
On March 8, countries around the world including Jamaica celebrated Women's International Day. This day signified a time set aside to focus on women and their roles in societies. This is by no means telling us to limit the recognition of our women's good, value and substantial worth to a particular day only, but the good in such an act brings collective power of recognition of our women on a worldwide scale.
The Jamaica Football Federation joins in celebrating the strides of women (females) in Jamaica. Therefore it takes great pleasure in highlighting the developments and achievements in women's football.
In 1998 a dream was fulfilled by the birth of the High School Girl's Football Competition. For Mrs. Elaine Walker Brown, this was a tedious task, she took on the challenge and made it possible with the participation of eight (8) teams from Kingston and St. Andrew.
In 1999, the interest grew nationwide, as a result, the participation improved tremendously from (8) teams to thirty seven (37) islandwide. Interest and talent was also improved by forty five (45) in 2000 and forty seven (47) in 2001. These also substantiate the interest, motivaton and hard work by Mrs. Walker-Brown, and the Jamaica Football Federation for the achieved success.
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From this competition, and the participation of these schools, many natural talents were unearthed and came to light. This competition also assisted in making the nation proud through their international performances on the field of play, and academically.
The JFF continues to encourage its players to take special interest in their academics, as ball skill alone would not suffice. To this end the JFF celebrates the proud achievements of 9 of its female players who have achieved scholarships abroad, for America Universities. Today, we hail:
NAME SCHOOL ATTENDED AMERICA UNIVERSITY
Alicia Wilson G.C. Foster College William Carey University, Mississippi
Nichole Bell Wolmer's High Florida International University
Lisanne Peart Mico Practising Florida International University
Stacy-Joe Fletcher Ardenne High Lindsay Wilson University, Kentucky
Latoya Linton Tivoli Garden Comprehensive Lindsay Wilson University, Kentucky
Geneiva Sinclair Montego Bay High Young Harris Junior College
Nordia Reid Montego Bay Community College Alabama University
Veneisha Paul UWI Lee's University
Consequently, a female Premier League was created from which candidates are fielded for scholarships. Tamara Williams is one such beneficiary, formerly of United Strikers, presently Barbican. She won an award to attend Lindsay Wilson University, based upon her academic achievements. In her first year, 1996-97, she demonstrated her ball skill and was subsequently called to the All Americas University Team.
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In the Caribbean Zone of the Women's U-19 World Cup qualifying football tournament that was held in Jamaica in December of last year, our young Reggae Girls (U-19) hammered Grenada 21-0 and, two days later crushed Bahamas with 11-0 putting Jamaica at the top of the group, with six points and 32 goals.
In local women's football, unearthed talents of the School Girl's League evening training camp convenes 3 times weekly with players from various schools all in preparation for the inaugural FIFA Under 19 World Cup Competition in Canada of August 2002.
Karl |
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Jamaica's Football History
