A simple plan to improve U-17 & U-20 football

[Don1]

The JFF, ISSA and the ministries of sport & education need to cooperate to ensure that kids in the national program both get a sound academic education...and learn to play team ball.

1. Form a permanent national player pool at U-17 and U-20 levels based at the Academy -- World Cup Development -- WCD program.... players evaluated and selected islandwide

2. With assistance from ISSA & Min of Education, recruit say 10 willing & suitable schools in easy reach of UWI to serve as "home" schools for the student athletes in the pools. Rural players can be transferred to one of these schools...players in the KMR can remain in their current schools.... suitable accommodation for out of towners to be provided.
WCD players will not be available to the schools for their competitions but only for the Academy program...the schools will just be responsible for their academic development in all aspects. Tutors to be provided for students needing remedial work

3. Training at the Academy to be structured around the school schedule... transportation to and from the academy (and any accommodation expenses) to be arranged by the JFF/Chase Fund/sponsors

4. If feasible/desirable.. enter the U-17 team in the club U-20 competition and the U-20 in the KSAFA Major League...or competition deemed most suitable for their age group & development.
Otherwise proceed with whatever development program is suitable for competitive games...

5. JFF & ISSA to cooperate to build coaching & player development expertise in the high schools and their competitions

[Farmah]

Good suggestions. You may want to add:
a) the need for qualified outside coaches into the academy, until our local coaches pick up on the new and innovative approaches to coaching.
b) the need to solicit corporate help from Jamaicans within the diaspora, not just on local soil, in order to underwrite this costly project.

[Don1]

I assumed the JFF has a good idea how they want to run the technical aspects of the academy... clearly good coaching is critical

As to funding I see my suggestions as relatively low cost...leveraging investments we already have in education with the already funded academy. The additional costs would really be in accommodation & transportation for the kids in the pool

[Farmah]

Ahiite. Btw, dah ting deh did reach up soh?

[Don1]

No mi nuh get nutten... wen dat fly?

[Bricktop]

What is this "Academy" you speak of? We have one of those?

[Pbanta]

About 4+ years ago I sat next to a person while flying to Jamaica. He asked me what I was going to do in Jamaica. I said meet with a friend of mine Carl Brown and the JFF to discuss a football academy and coaching development. This is when Boxhill was the head. This chap mention there was already a high school on the campus of UWI. Maybe it still exist. A good idea. The academies around the world do programs that are holistic and Jamaica could use this concept.

[Don1]

Never heard of a high school at UWI.... but there are many within 20 mins. Maybe the guy meant Mona High which adjoins UWI in Mona Heights

All we need is the facilities at UWI as a focal point of the football development... and then use the nearby schools as satellites to cover the academic side... a virtual academy so to speak

[Gamma]

i think there is one if memory serves me right..... it's kind of a magnet school kinda thing ....

[Pbanta]

Yes....I believe that's correct. After meetings with UWI they were very interested in the development of an academy with Carl Brown and GSM. After meeting with Mr. Boxhill GSM did not want to partner with that leadership. Soon after Peter and Karl were released.

[Don1]

good...if ah suh it guh..

could be the platform for the academic side of an academy.... we could also use advanced & post grad students as tutors... gi dem academic credit fi dat

so many things could be done....as Adam Clayton Powell used to say...it's in our hands

Unfortunately most people concentrate on whining and destructive criticism instead of finding the simple solutions rite in front ah wi

[Farmah]

Strange!! From di 4th....bout 8 days now.

[Don1]

will check doorman

[Karl]

You are so rite!
...we have much but have so far failed to exploit to fullest potential.

As I said moons past - each high school's football programme could be a replicate of an academy.

So you have the nation's 1, 2 or 3 (someone had suggested each confed has one) and each school has a replica.

We do want to maximize potential of our total human resources...rite?

...seem to me the T&F people are fast on the way to that with more and more schools adopting the KC (World beating model - T&F academy?)
...such that even the MVP and Racers have stepped inline/online.

..so why can't football be similar?

...even in cricket...what is StETHs is doing that others cannot? ...that our cricket clubs and our JCA cannot do? ...similar to what holds in India and Australia only with our 'money'?

[Bricktop]

We can't even replicate one academy yet you expect every school to replicate an academy?