Developing footballers in Jamaica..........

[USAF]

How do you effectively & efficiently implement a national program for the development and growth of the youth???
There’s a debate I see here about the best way to develop youth footballers in Jamaica and while there’s agreement on improved coaching & infrastructure, there’s a dispute about whether to set up an academy system for the top players or use the existing high school system.

These are some things I looked at, if the existing high school system is used –

There are presently 112 high schools participating in Jamaica’s boys high school competition (38 in Manning Cup and 74 daCosta Cup)
If each team has 20 players (don’t know the number) on each team, you are looking at 2,240. How many have a legitimate chance of playing professionally and representing Jamaica???

To properly develop the players, I think each team will need at least 2 coaches & a trainer, full time. That’s 336 trained & qualified professionals. How much will be the salary and benefits for these 336 professionals???

The 336 professionals are for Manning Cup & daCosta Cup teams. What about teams at the Pepsi & Colts level (those are the other high school levels I’m familiar with)???

For the 112 schools, they’ll need to have proper playing & training facilities. How much will it cost to develop and manage these facilities and how many personnel will they need???

An important part of properly developing athletes is their diet. How much will it cost for these high schools to prepare specialized meals for all these youngsters???

There’s also the health care. What is the cost???

NOTE – Before high school there’s a very important period in the development process. Are they going to use the primary & prep school system, which is BIGGER (more schools & youth needing more coaches) than the high school system???

[Bricktop]

i think you already know the answers to those questions...all roads lead to an academy system

[Karl]

How do you effectively & efficiently implement a national program for the development and growth of the youth???
There’s a debate I see here about the best way to develop youth footballers in Jamaica and while there’s agreement on improved coaching & infrastructure, there’s a dispute about whether to set up an academy system for the top players or use the existing high school system.

Error! It is not an either or...it is use both!!!
TALENT resides in JAMAICA in ABUNDANCE!

.....

These are some things I looked at, if the existing high school system is used –

There are presently 112 high schools participating in Jamaica’s boys high school competition (38 in Manning Cup and 74 daCosta Cup)
If each team has 20 players (don’t know the number) on each team, you are looking at 2,240. How many have a legitimate chance of playing professionally and representing Jamaica???

To properly develop the players, I think each team will need at least 2 coaches & a trainer, full time. That’s 336 trained & qualified professionals. How much will be the salary and benefits for these 336 professionals???

The 336 professionals are for Manning Cup & daCosta Cup teams. What about teams at the Pepsi & Colts level (those are the other high school levels I’m familiar with)???

For the 112 schools, they’ll need to have proper playing & training facilities. How much will it cost to develop and manage these facilities and how many personnel will they need???

An important part of properly developing athletes is their diet. How much will it cost for these high schools to prepare specialized meals for all these youngsters???

There’s also the health care. What is the cost???

NOTE – Before high school there’s a very important period in the development process. Are they going to use the primary & prep school system, which is BIGGER (more schools & youth needing more coaches) than the high school system???

You have hit the nail on its head...save the following:
Within the context of:
- current zero numbers of coaches with proven ability to teach football...The results say that, not me. As the graduates have not achieved a sufficient proficiency in the subject "football" - see: Jamaica's results on the international scene - matches at various age-group levels & numbers winning contracts at professional clubs...and those of our teachers=coaches winning contracts at clubs outside of Jamaica - and no one should dispute that those results reflect the quality of teaching=coaching as our kids are 'brite' (base on which tactical awareness is built), athletic (base on which technical proficiency is built) and fast!!!;

- infrastructure already built and available;

- large numbers of talented kids i.e. kids who are smart, athletic and fast;

- limited private sector funds to adequately allow for all the identified talented to be accommodated...
...any system introduced at this time with one or two academies targeted at developing our youngsters will leave too many even more talented than those taken in the academies without any access to what could be a very rewarding career.

End of story!!!!
You have to use a combination of schools' resources - physical and human - and academies - clubs and stand alone entities.

Good talk, USAF!!!!

[Bricktop]

You have to use a combination of schools' resources - physical and human - and academies - clubs and stand alone entities.

where has this system been successfully implemented?

[Bricktop]

When I observed that for all the seriousness of purpose at De Toekomst, I was surprised that the players did not practice more hours or play more games, Rooi said: “Of course, because they do not want to do anything to injure them or wear them out. They’re capital. And what is the first thing a businessman does? He protects his capital.”

the sooner people like Karl realise this...the better off Jamaican football will be

[Bricktop]

School? Karl you need to catch up:

Ronald de Jong invited me to go scouting with him one Saturday. He had his eye on a specific target — “a 2004,” he said, referring to a birth year. A 5-year-old whom he had seen and was checking in with every month or so. This boy might not even be in school yet, I pointed out. “I don’t think he is,” de Jong said with a slight smile, as if he recognized the absurdity. “I believe he’s in day care.”

[Karl]

Truncated looks at our needs!

National Youth Development et al:
http://reggaeboyzsc.com/views.aspx?id=235

Using base of proper youth development:
The game at National TEAM levels - http://reggaeboyzsc.com/views.aspx?val=%&id=227

Talent Abounds but lack of teaching...good teaching and lack of good administrators condemn that abundance to the scrap heap! - http://reggaeboyzsc.com/views.aspx?val=%&id=161

----

Aside: the emotional appeal! 'Bawling' my eyes out! - http://reggaeboyzsc.com/views.aspx?val=%&id=236

[Karl]

School? Karl you need to catch up:

School? Karl you need to catch up:

Ronald de Jong invited me to go scouting with him one Saturday. He had his eye on a specific target — “a 2004,” he said, referring to a birth year. A 5-year-old whom he had seen and was checking in with every month or so. This boy might not even be in school yet, I pointed out. “I don’t think he is,” de Jong said with a slight smile, as if he recognized the absurdity. “I believe he’s in day care.”[/QUOTE]

Bricky yuh need tuh read!
Question for you to think on - Do you know of any...even half-assed country where a 5 year old is not in school?

Read, Bricky! READ!!!

[Muadib]

What does Intramural football have to do with requirements for turning out Professional Footballers ?

They can both exist but one must understand the purpose of each...

Right now we are missing the Professional program. so any discussion is moot.

The question to be answered is WHY don't we have the professional program.. somebody must be benefiting from this dysfunction...

[Bricktop]

that is all you could muster up in response?

[Karl]

What does Intramural football have to do with requirements for turning out Professional Footballers ?

They can both exist but one must understand the purpose of each...

Right now we are missing the Professional program. so any discussion is moot.

Your above is without value!

The question to be answered is: WHY don't we have the professional program.. somebody must be benefiting from this dysfunction...

The question is an important one...and the musing on why the dysfunction, is understood.

An attempt at answering the question in the context of turning things around would entail a long listing of possible reasons. The more important thing is, who are the individuals to maximize on the potential for assisting on development in schools - physical structures and human capital - and who are they that would create even one academy staffed with knowledgeable teachers/experts such that development of players could occur?

The current lot of coaches should not be let any where near attempts at professional youth development organisation, save and except they are willing to "go back to school" to at last educate selves on subject "football" - knowledge of the game inclusive of how the game should be played/is to be played and teaching methods. The current muddling along occurring in the schools and in the clubs has proven to all and sundry that merely erecting an edifice and calling it school football or XYZ Academy when what is being taught is rubbish begets...RUBBISH!!!

[Muadib]

The part which you deem without value indicates a lack of understanding on your part.

It speaks to the crux of the issue on the schoolboy football/academy debate.

Implement the best practice system first.. then if yuh want to look at how to locate some 'walk-on' talent from the intramural league that somehow miss the Academy net.. well I suppose it cyaan hurt..

Until yuh implement the best practice system however.. all discussion regarding the intramural league is.. as you say.. without value..

[Stonigut]

This is exactly the kind of program that is totally unsustainable, too big, unmanageable, too dispersed to be able to be truly effective an way too expensive to ever imagine doing something that massive and wide. Just labor costs alone for the high school program would be about $7 million us a year assuming $20k average salary which is probably low for a coach with some fundamental benefits thrown in you looking at another 15percent of costs there so another 1 million, so that is just labor costs. That alone is unsustainable.

Simple plan is to use existing infrastructure and set up a extended weekend program one time per month and a month long summer program which will form the base of the academy system, six locations two in each county and is based on invitation of just the best with clear goals defined on what will get you an invite (you want to see competition) just make it very transparent and you will see a revolution in yard ball.

Such a program could be based in already existing government institutions and schools, heart academy's and gce foster, boarding high schools, thus cost of setup would be low and operational costs much more sustainable building on top of a table that is already there. You probably don't need anymore than three or four coaches per location, so max we looking at twenty four top guys with the objective of going through the top ten to fifteen percent of all players within each age group.


That is a place that we can start from, that is manageable, that is sustainable.

[Karl]

The part which you deem without value indicates a lack of understanding on your part.

It speaks to the crux of the issue on the schoolboy football/academy debate.

Implement the best practice system first.. then if yuh want to look at how to locate some 'walk-on' talent from the intramural league that somehow miss the Academy net.. well I suppose it cyaan hurt..

[B]Until yuh implement the best practice system however.. all discussion regarding the intramural league is.. as you say.. without value..[/B]

We are were we are!
It is "the how" of moving onward that is of value!

Your last sentence - Until yuh implement the best practice system however.. all discussion regarding the intramural league is.. as you say.. without value.. - says it all and with emphasis!!!

Let me repeat - There is a need for both:
- creation of first rate school teaching of football and there shall naturally follow development of the talented school children who are exposed to that first rate teaching of football.

- also the establishment of a number of academies where the culled best of our talented as in what shall be easily identified age periods and time - (as per date each talented child was moved to an academy), shall receive first rate teaching of football.

It is simple talented kids of the same age will develop under identical situations at different pace. It follows as night follows day that:
- not all the kids worthy of accommodation in an academy shall find places;

- and as there is unique rate of development of individuals there shall be 'late bloomers' who shall rapidly surpass some of their earlier colleagues.

In the context of limited space at academies - Some of these late bloomers shall then supplant some of those earlier academy place holders.

[Karl]

This is exactly the kind of program that is totally unsustainable, too big, unmanageable, too dispersed to be able to be truly effective an way too expensive to ever imagine doing something that massive and wide. Just labor costs alone for the high school program would be about $7 million us a year assuming $20k average salary which is probably low for a coach with some fundamental benefits thrown in you looking at another 15percent of costs there so another 1 million, so that is just labor costs. That alone is unsustainable.

Simple plan is to use existing infrastructure and set up a extended weekend program one time per month and a month long summer program which will form the base of the academy system, six locations two in each county and is based on invitation of just the best with clear goals defined on what will get you an invite (you want to see competition) just make it very transparent and you will see a revolution in yard ball.

Such a program could be based in already existing government institutions and schools, heart academy's and GC Foster, boarding high schools, thus cost of setup would be low and operational costs much more sustainable building on top of a table that is already there. You probably don't need anymore than three or four coaches per location, so max we looking at twenty four top guys with the objective of going through the top ten to fifteen percent of all players within each age group.


That is a place that we can start from, that is manageable, that is sustainable.

Identify the exact target of what you deem unmanageable? ...and as you do so explain where are the pitfalls?

The comments you make on costs I am assuming includes a calculation on "The how" of the JFF working with the already "paid" for in the country's budget of teachers, school buildings and grounds, colleges and fields...and the already in place specialized sports college, GC Foster, and the specialised hoards of sports teachers with elective and option of football as subject???!

Would you care to hazard a guess on investments already made in those areas?

Aside: Investments not being used and going to waste.

An interesting experiment is already being carried out in schools and colleges by the Track and Field body. The results of that experiment is seen at Champs and in international competitions. Some administrators, athletes and coaches have already propelled the industry to 'putting a toe in the water" on the international scene.

Examples:
- Significant numbers of administrators on international bodies developing greater expertise and sharing their expertise;

- Significant numbers of our coaches at US colleges and elsewhere. (Smile when you think of Jerry Holness' work in the Middle East!);

- I am sure we do not have to mention those of our athletes who have "made it" on the international scene.

- Private sector enterprises build out - Think on MVP, Races, etc...and the Sport Management, etc. firm with international reach being built out by Carole Beckford.

- Spectator/fan build out!

Just think on the multi-billion of US dollars already at the JFF's disposal at NO COST!!! ...save the JFF's input on lending its international contacts and their administrators and other human resources getting up off their asses and going to the 'schools and colleges', other GOJ entities and private sector entities with either 'cash and kind' and technical expertise - e.g. medical, nutrition, the financial field- accountants, etc. - etc???

Yes, sir: Please spell out where what is proposed is unmanageable?
I shall provide the direction to how using already in place facilities and capital - financial & human - link Youth Development to National targets - e.g. Good National TEAMs, penetration of World Markets and Private Sector build out?

...however, first think on the snap-shot of what the Track and Field people have embarked on. Consider this; they are no-where near 40% build out on use of the resources already in place!!!!

NB: The Track and Field people have no-where near the access to capital and human resources that the JFF has. Think on that...please???!