Tweet
Reggae Boyz's fans give JFF thumps up
Andrew Hancel
Monday, November 19, 2007
Football fans turned out in their numbers at the National Stadium last night as the Reggae Boyz dispatched El Salvador 3-0 to give the new Captain Horace Burrell-led administration a winning start.
Fans journeyed from afar to cheer on their beloved Boyz, despite the ruling governing Jamaica Labour Party staging its 64th Annual Conference in close proximity at the National Arena.
An estimated crowd of around 15,000 spectators gathered in the 25,000-capacity stadium to witness the first International friendly inside 'The Office' since Jamaica played Chile here, and by all accounts, Captain Burrell and his team were given the thumps up.
"We always liked football and it's a pity that the JFF didn't start advertising the game earlier," said Larry Stewart at half-time. "This kind of crowd will bring back life into the game and it will only encourage the programme."
"Leadership at the top made the difference. The vibes is building up and we should try an keep this momentum going by getting more home games," added Wilfred McKinley.
Captain Burrell, prior to retaking the reins at the JFF, had promised more home games, as only two matches, in March and June, had been hosted here this year.
Based on yesterday's crowd, the Captain appears to have restored hope, which could see a packed stadium on Wednesday when the Boyz entertain Guatemala.
And according to Jamaica National employee, Diana Cunningham, "this is going to take us back into time", when the country qualified for the 1998 World Cup.
"Burrell is a magic man and the next match, the stadium will be full," an elated Cunningham said.
Another fan, Rebecca Silvera, shared similar sentiments with Cunningham, while describing the atmosphere as "fabulous".
The massive turnout augurs well for other home games, said James Golding, from Church Pen, St Catherine.
"These games will do well for our ranking. However, the team is not playing well as a team, but hopefully if they can play together for longer then we should get better," said Golding.
Andrew Hancel
Monday, November 19, 2007
Football fans turned out in their numbers at the National Stadium last night as the Reggae Boyz dispatched El Salvador 3-0 to give the new Captain Horace Burrell-led administration a winning start.
Fans journeyed from afar to cheer on their beloved Boyz, despite the ruling governing Jamaica Labour Party staging its 64th Annual Conference in close proximity at the National Arena.
An estimated crowd of around 15,000 spectators gathered in the 25,000-capacity stadium to witness the first International friendly inside 'The Office' since Jamaica played Chile here, and by all accounts, Captain Burrell and his team were given the thumps up.
"We always liked football and it's a pity that the JFF didn't start advertising the game earlier," said Larry Stewart at half-time. "This kind of crowd will bring back life into the game and it will only encourage the programme."
"Leadership at the top made the difference. The vibes is building up and we should try an keep this momentum going by getting more home games," added Wilfred McKinley.
Captain Burrell, prior to retaking the reins at the JFF, had promised more home games, as only two matches, in March and June, had been hosted here this year.
Based on yesterday's crowd, the Captain appears to have restored hope, which could see a packed stadium on Wednesday when the Boyz entertain Guatemala.
And according to Jamaica National employee, Diana Cunningham, "this is going to take us back into time", when the country qualified for the 1998 World Cup.
"Burrell is a magic man and the next match, the stadium will be full," an elated Cunningham said.
Another fan, Rebecca Silvera, shared similar sentiments with Cunningham, while describing the atmosphere as "fabulous".
The massive turnout augurs well for other home games, said James Golding, from Church Pen, St Catherine.
"These games will do well for our ranking. However, the team is not playing well as a team, but hopefully if they can play together for longer then we should get better," said Golding.
Comment