Battle for the ReggaeBoyz future in full effect

[Don1]

...amid growing realization that the Snow Balla short term tactic is bankrupt & failed


What future for National Football Programme?

11:23 am, Mon October 14, 2013

By Spencer Darlington



With the Reggae Boyz World Cup Qualifying dream for the 2014 showpiece in Brazil now over, attention must turn to the future of the National Programme, at least over the short to medium term.

Apart from private and public sector funding, a competent coaching staff, patient and supportive fans, adequate match practice to improve the country's international ranking and other vital resources, one of the deciding factors going forward will be the calibre of players selected.

Now, given what has happened in recent years after a failed World Cup Qualification campaign, I suspect the National Programme may face a dormant period where international friendlies may be hard to come by and some serious introspection will have to be done by the Jamaica Football Federation.

So back to the players that need to be selected over the short- to-medium term, with the 2018 World Cup in Russia being the main project and qualification for this event starting in 2016.

Several names have lit up local schoolboy football over the last six to eight years or so, but sadly, not much has been heard about many of these players. Darren Mattocks, Kemar Daley, Ashani Walker, Kendon Anderson, Andre Lewis, Jason Wright And Omar Holness in the Manning Cup and Carnel Learmond, Ashton Bennett, Jason Johnson, Brian Brown, Allan Ottey, Deshorn Brown And Dwayne Williams in the DaCosta Cup, are just a few of the names who either created waves or gained a fair degree of respect in local schoolboy football in recent years.

Deshorn finally debuted Friday night.Some are either still in overseas colleges, universities, academies, the MLS or plying their trade in the local National Premier League.

Add to this, a team which represented Jamaica at the 2011 FIFA Under 17 world cup in Mexico and only one player, Alvas Powell, from this aggregation, is in the senior Reggae Boyz set-up at the moment.

I think a more serious effort will now have to be made by the local authorities to track the progress and development of many of these players and have the scouts for the National Programme travel overseas to make periodic assessments of those who are still active.

If this is done, and the coaching staff utilise those in the present pool with age on their side, I think Jamaica's 2018 World Cup Campaign could see a better reflection of the quality produced in the Manning and DaCosta Cup competitions in recent years, meaning even a handful of these players forcing their way into the senior national set-up, which should therefore minimise the recent heavy reliance on players who ply their trade in the lower leagues in England and also have Jamaican connections.

[Jangle]

This article is a waste of newspaper space and computer bytes. The best solution to the development and advancement for our national football program is better tracking of our high school ballers???? KMFT

[Karl]

This article is a waste of newspaper space and computer bytes. The best solution to the development and advancement for our national football program is better tracking of our high school ballers???? KMFT

I know you do not mean the above to be the cure all for our problems.

[Mosiah]

If this is done, and the coaching staff utilise those in the present pool with age on their side, I think Jamaica's 2018 World Cup Campaign could see a better reflection of the quality produced in the Manning and DaCosta Cup competitions in recent years, meaning even a handful of these players forcing their way into the senior national set-up, which should therefore minimise the recent heavy reliance on players who ply their trade in the lower leagues in England and also have Jamaican connections.

sigh

Like I said, in time, y'all will realise - I am always right!