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Jamaica beckons
... English-born trio yearns to wear the black, green and goldLivingston Scott, Observer staff reporter
BRAZIER ... I am extremely grateful to Mr Brown for giving the boys the encouragement
Curtis Shaw, Jourdan Blake and Jermaine Holniss are three young English-born 17 year-old footballers on a quest to represent Jamaica's Reggae Boyz.
Born of Jamiacan parents and raised in Nottingham, England, in a community called St Ann, they hope to be part of Jamaica's National Under-20 squad before the World Under- 20 Championship qualifiers begin in August.
Shaw is a centre-forward, while Blake and Holniss are midfielders.
BLAKE ... enjoying a training session with the senior Reggae Boyz
But at a time when most young players born in England are looking to represent that country, the three made a remarkable effort to earn themselves a trial with the Jamaican team.
Shaw and Blake represent Kidminister Owls Football Club, while Holniss, who has played for a number of clubs and last donned the Derby County jersey, is looking to join his colleagues at Kidminister next season.
HOLNISS ... we were delighted that we got the chance to train with them and it was the start of this great period
The players said at first they only talked about the idea - originally Shaw's - of making themselves available for Jamaica.
However, Shaw was determined and his persistence and effort paid off.
SHAW ... It has been a good experience and I have enjoyed it
He contacted the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and eventually got the telephone number for Jamaica's technical director Carl Brown, who offered them a trial if they could make the trip to Kingston.
However, financing proved a difficulty. In fact, the boys had run into a brick wall until they met Barry Brazier, a community development worker attached to an agency called the Racial Equality Council which assists less privileged youngsters in inner-city communities in Britain.
" ...I spoke with him (Carl Brown) and he said if we could come out they would look at us, so we just had to raise enough money to come," Shaw explained.
"But it was after we met Brazier and he told us he would help us, that's when it really got going.
"He did everything... he raised the money, sorted out the dates when we should come down, the travelling, hotel and all of that, he was really there for us," added Shaw.
Shaw was urged by the others to reveal his idea to Brazier met the boys while helping with a project in their community.
"Shaw had the idea and he contacted the JFF last year (May) and they got a reply that if they could get out here then they would take a look at them," said Brazier who made the trip to Jamaica with the teenagers.
"I knew them from a project we were doing and I told them if they wanted to do it they should go for it. They worked hard on getting the funds... I worked with them all the way and after we succeeded they asked me to come with them.
"But they pulled it off by themselves really, because of their determination and interest," said Brazier, who watched as the senior Reggae Boyz went through their final preparation at Sabina Park ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Haiti recently.
While the national team camped in England in May for two weeks to play a triangular tournament with Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland, the three young hopefuls were invited by Brown to come down to London for introductions.
However, after they arrived Brown extended his invitation and told them they could train with the squad for a few days which was overwhelming, according to the youngsters.
"Not every day you get the experience to train with a national first team squad, so we obviously felt privileged that we got the opportunity," Shaw beamed.
"It was the national team and the first team," Holniss added, "so we were delighted that we got the chance to train with them and it was the start of this great period".
The players, who were scheduled to depart last evening, were in the island for over two weeks and trained with the senior team before their second-leg World Cup qualifier against Haiti.
But the youngsters were keen to meet up with their age group so that they would be able to prove themselves. They not only met their age-group peers, they actually trained with them over an eight-day period, June 23-30.
With World Under-20 championship qualifiers due for the end of August the three are hoping they can make the final squad for that tournament.
"We have travelled a long way and put a lot into it, so we want to make sure that we achieve what we aimed for," Shaw declared.
"My hope is just to get into the squad really," Blake said. "I just want to play my normal game and hopefully I will be in the squad by the end of the trials and from there I can take it step by step."
Holniss, however, has his sights set on a first team place.
"I want to get into the starting line-up, if that is possible. But I want to get into the (under-20) squad at least so I can come back by mid-June for the World Cup qualifiers and I'm confident of making the squad," the midfielder said.
The players say their desire and commitment to Jamaica is very strong and true, and they hope the Jamaican public doesn't think otherwise.
"This is our background and this is where our parents are from and where our roots are and because of that we want to come and play for Jamaica," Blake explained.
"My dad was born here and the majority of my family is from Jamaica," Shaw interjected. "So from I was a child I have been thinking of playing for Jamaica, so now that I reach this age that's why I e-mailed and try to get the trials.
"I don't want people to think that I chose Jamaica just because I couldn't get into England's squad. I wanted to play for Jamaica for as long as I can remember and that's why I wanted to come from a young age so I could make my way up through the ranks," he said.
"We don't want to invade the team, we want to represent Jamaica like all the other players and we hope that our presence can help to improve the team and improve ourselves as players.
"We all want to play international football and we all want to play the World Cup, so I am just trying to do this while I'm young and that is what I'm here to do."
The players gave a lot of credit to coach Brown who welcomed them with open arms.
"It has been a good experience and I have enjoyed it. Not many youngsters get this chance and I have to thank Carl Brown," Shaw declared.
Brazier believes more English-born youngsters will be looking to represent Jamaica at the youth level in the near future.
He also believes football is a key to strengthening ties between Jamaica and Britain.
"Jamaica and Britain have a special relationship. The British government might not want to show it but there is a lot of future between expatriates and friends of Jamaica and England to build good relationships.
"The city where we come from in Nottingham, we have a large community with Jamaican heritage, and we have a lot of bad press, so this is a pratical way to get positive links between young people who are born in the UK and are of Jamaican heritage.
"I want the two countries to try and form an exchange programme with football being the link, and see how our youngsters who are experienced to football over there could share their experience with those here.
"If we can encourage young people to come over to the UK it could be beneficial for everybody.
"So over the next 12 months there will definitely be some links between the young people in Nottingham who are interested in football and the federation here," Brazier promised.
He too praised Brown. "I am extremely grateful to Mr Brown for giving the boys the encouragement. He allowed them to train with the team even when they came over to England.
"And I am convinced that to lift football in Jamaica you'll need younger players who are looking to go professional. They can offer a lot to young players out here.
"I call these three little ambassadors because they have started the ball rolling. All of them are very young and they have the talent to get into a professional football club. They live, eat and sleep football, and that's what brought them here.
"It is a dream come true for them, and even if nothing else happens by the time they go home they will have opened the way for others to follow," he said.
National Under-20 coach Wendell Downswell is impressed by the youngsters' determination to represent Jamaica, and he thinks the relationship will be mutually beneficial.
"It is good to get them at this tender age, because they would develop a deeper sense of loyalty and commitment to the country.
"This also augurs well for Jamaica as long as we can get the best possible players available. Once they can make a healthy contribution to the team we'll have them as part of the squad," he said.
At the time Downswell said it was too early to make any assessments. "It is early to fully assess them, but when the whole euphoria has died down and they are more acquainted with the guys then we can see what they are about," he said.
... English-born trio yearns to wear the black, green and goldLivingston Scott, Observer staff reporter
BRAZIER ... I am extremely grateful to Mr Brown for giving the boys the encouragementCurtis Shaw, Jourdan Blake and Jermaine Holniss are three young English-born 17 year-old footballers on a quest to represent Jamaica's Reggae Boyz.
Born of Jamiacan parents and raised in Nottingham, England, in a community called St Ann, they hope to be part of Jamaica's National Under-20 squad before the World Under- 20 Championship qualifiers begin in August.
Shaw is a centre-forward, while Blake and Holniss are midfielders.
BLAKE ... enjoying a training session with the senior Reggae BoyzBut at a time when most young players born in England are looking to represent that country, the three made a remarkable effort to earn themselves a trial with the Jamaican team.
Shaw and Blake represent Kidminister Owls Football Club, while Holniss, who has played for a number of clubs and last donned the Derby County jersey, is looking to join his colleagues at Kidminister next season.
HOLNISS ... we were delighted that we got the chance to train with them and it was the start of this great periodThe players said at first they only talked about the idea - originally Shaw's - of making themselves available for Jamaica.
However, Shaw was determined and his persistence and effort paid off.
SHAW ... It has been a good experience and I have enjoyed itHe contacted the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and eventually got the telephone number for Jamaica's technical director Carl Brown, who offered them a trial if they could make the trip to Kingston.
However, financing proved a difficulty. In fact, the boys had run into a brick wall until they met Barry Brazier, a community development worker attached to an agency called the Racial Equality Council which assists less privileged youngsters in inner-city communities in Britain.
" ...I spoke with him (Carl Brown) and he said if we could come out they would look at us, so we just had to raise enough money to come," Shaw explained.
"But it was after we met Brazier and he told us he would help us, that's when it really got going.
"He did everything... he raised the money, sorted out the dates when we should come down, the travelling, hotel and all of that, he was really there for us," added Shaw.
Shaw was urged by the others to reveal his idea to Brazier met the boys while helping with a project in their community.
"Shaw had the idea and he contacted the JFF last year (May) and they got a reply that if they could get out here then they would take a look at them," said Brazier who made the trip to Jamaica with the teenagers.
"I knew them from a project we were doing and I told them if they wanted to do it they should go for it. They worked hard on getting the funds... I worked with them all the way and after we succeeded they asked me to come with them.
"But they pulled it off by themselves really, because of their determination and interest," said Brazier, who watched as the senior Reggae Boyz went through their final preparation at Sabina Park ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Haiti recently.
While the national team camped in England in May for two weeks to play a triangular tournament with Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland, the three young hopefuls were invited by Brown to come down to London for introductions.
However, after they arrived Brown extended his invitation and told them they could train with the squad for a few days which was overwhelming, according to the youngsters.
"Not every day you get the experience to train with a national first team squad, so we obviously felt privileged that we got the opportunity," Shaw beamed.
"It was the national team and the first team," Holniss added, "so we were delighted that we got the chance to train with them and it was the start of this great period".
The players, who were scheduled to depart last evening, were in the island for over two weeks and trained with the senior team before their second-leg World Cup qualifier against Haiti.
But the youngsters were keen to meet up with their age group so that they would be able to prove themselves. They not only met their age-group peers, they actually trained with them over an eight-day period, June 23-30.
With World Under-20 championship qualifiers due for the end of August the three are hoping they can make the final squad for that tournament.
"We have travelled a long way and put a lot into it, so we want to make sure that we achieve what we aimed for," Shaw declared.
"My hope is just to get into the squad really," Blake said. "I just want to play my normal game and hopefully I will be in the squad by the end of the trials and from there I can take it step by step."
Holniss, however, has his sights set on a first team place.
"I want to get into the starting line-up, if that is possible. But I want to get into the (under-20) squad at least so I can come back by mid-June for the World Cup qualifiers and I'm confident of making the squad," the midfielder said.
The players say their desire and commitment to Jamaica is very strong and true, and they hope the Jamaican public doesn't think otherwise.
"This is our background and this is where our parents are from and where our roots are and because of that we want to come and play for Jamaica," Blake explained.
"My dad was born here and the majority of my family is from Jamaica," Shaw interjected. "So from I was a child I have been thinking of playing for Jamaica, so now that I reach this age that's why I e-mailed and try to get the trials.
"I don't want people to think that I chose Jamaica just because I couldn't get into England's squad. I wanted to play for Jamaica for as long as I can remember and that's why I wanted to come from a young age so I could make my way up through the ranks," he said.
"We don't want to invade the team, we want to represent Jamaica like all the other players and we hope that our presence can help to improve the team and improve ourselves as players.
"We all want to play international football and we all want to play the World Cup, so I am just trying to do this while I'm young and that is what I'm here to do."
The players gave a lot of credit to coach Brown who welcomed them with open arms.
"It has been a good experience and I have enjoyed it. Not many youngsters get this chance and I have to thank Carl Brown," Shaw declared.
Brazier believes more English-born youngsters will be looking to represent Jamaica at the youth level in the near future.
He also believes football is a key to strengthening ties between Jamaica and Britain.
"Jamaica and Britain have a special relationship. The British government might not want to show it but there is a lot of future between expatriates and friends of Jamaica and England to build good relationships.
"The city where we come from in Nottingham, we have a large community with Jamaican heritage, and we have a lot of bad press, so this is a pratical way to get positive links between young people who are born in the UK and are of Jamaican heritage.
"I want the two countries to try and form an exchange programme with football being the link, and see how our youngsters who are experienced to football over there could share their experience with those here.
"If we can encourage young people to come over to the UK it could be beneficial for everybody.
"So over the next 12 months there will definitely be some links between the young people in Nottingham who are interested in football and the federation here," Brazier promised.
He too praised Brown. "I am extremely grateful to Mr Brown for giving the boys the encouragement. He allowed them to train with the team even when they came over to England.
"And I am convinced that to lift football in Jamaica you'll need younger players who are looking to go professional. They can offer a lot to young players out here.
"I call these three little ambassadors because they have started the ball rolling. All of them are very young and they have the talent to get into a professional football club. They live, eat and sleep football, and that's what brought them here.
"It is a dream come true for them, and even if nothing else happens by the time they go home they will have opened the way for others to follow," he said.
National Under-20 coach Wendell Downswell is impressed by the youngsters' determination to represent Jamaica, and he thinks the relationship will be mutually beneficial.
"It is good to get them at this tender age, because they would develop a deeper sense of loyalty and commitment to the country.
"This also augurs well for Jamaica as long as we can get the best possible players available. Once they can make a healthy contribution to the team we'll have them as part of the squad," he said.
At the time Downswell said it was too early to make any assessments. "It is early to fully assess them, but when the whole euphoria has died down and they are more acquainted with the guys then we can see what they are about," he said.
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