J'can style soccer will take time, says McIntosh
BY SEAN A WILLIAMS Assistant Sport Editor
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
CHAIRMAN of the JFF Technical and Development Committee, Howard McIntosh, says Jamaica is still determined to craft its own football philosophy, but in the same breath, conceded it won't happen overnight.
McIntosh, who is also one of three FIFA development officers operating in the CONCACAF zone, said the ground work for achieving this goal has already been laid with the JFF/JMMB/UTech Coaching School, which has so far graduated some 400 coaches since inception in 2009.
MCINTOSH... development of a football philosophy can’t happen in a vacuum
MCINTOSH... development of a football philosophy can’t happen in a vacuum
MCINTOSH... development of a football philosophy can’t happen in a vacuum
"The development of any football philosophy cannot happen in a vacuum. The introduction of the coaching school was part of the strategic thrust towards this goal as this is where the foundation and principles have to commence.
"However, this will not be overnight. We have to be patient with the evolution through training and systematic implementation at the grassroots level," he said.
A football philosophy is thought to be a deliberate set of principles and ideals on how a country's football culture and practices should evolve, which ultimately will achieve the full utilisation of the strengths of its players in arriving at a particular style of play that may be unique in a sense.
Apart from the coaching school, the JFF/Digicel National Grassroots Football Programme and the establishment of the JFF Technical Centre based at the UWI Bowl are to be integrated into the overall master plan to develop this much-talked-about philosophy.
While the grassroots programme for kids aged from six to 12 years has kicked off, McIntosh said the Technical Centre lags in its development, but is confident that when completed it will be "a showpiece" of the local football landscape.
"There is so much that needs to be brought up to scratch, including the playing surface. The football centre, when completed, will be something that the country can be proud of.
"It is not yet at the stage that we can compare to the developed world. However, we are confident we are on the right track with limited finances," he said.
Though Jamaica is not viewed as an authentic football nation, its youth spend a great deal of time playing the game from street corners to cattle fields and the national programme aims to invest in harnessing this passion in a constructive way.
Jamaica, even as it has qualified four teams to different men's World Cup Finals since 1998, is deemed to lack the history and tradition that separates it from European, South American and Central American nations.
"Jamaicans are sport-loving people in general, but we are still some way from being regarded as an authentic football-playing nation in every sense. We have made steady improvement in some areas, but are not as advanced in others.
"When we have our technical and physical infrastructure up to good and consistent standards and can deliver consistently a product good for international television and which includes very good attendance at our games at international and national levels, then we can confidently state we have arrived with the big boys.
"However, we are definitely making forward strides and should feel encouraged," McIntosh concluded.
Comment