THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) received a huge boost yesterday when the sport's regional governing body, CONCACAF, revealed the country's successful bid to host next February's regional Under-17 Championships.
The Championships will facilitate the qualification of four teams from the region for the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be staged in Mexico from June 18-July 10.
Last night, JFF president Captain Horace Burrell expressed pleasure with CONCACAF's decision and said he was expecting the tournament to push the development of football in the western parishes.
"A short while ago (yesterday) CONCACAF confirmed that Jamaica is selected as the host country for the CONCACAF Under-17 Football qualifiers which will take place between February 12 and 28 next year. I am extremely pleased with this decision as it will certainly help to give a fillip to western football development which, in recent times, has been facing numerous challenges," he said.
In early August, CONCACAF's general secretary Ted Howard toured and inspected the newly built Catherine Hall facility, the Jarrett Park ground and the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium. Burrell said that the regional federation will shortly announce the two venues which will be used during the tournament.
Burrell insisted that the JFF will be trying its utmost best to prepare youngsters for this tournament to ensure Jamaica's first qualification for an Under-17 World Cup since 1999 in New Zealand.
"We intend to go all out in preparing our Under-17 players for this very important tournament and will be giving our youngsters much needed international exposure which I'm sure will put them in good stead to qualify," he said.
"Hosting of this 12-nation tournament in Jamaica means a lot, not only to the football fraternity but certainly to the tourism industry. The hotel, transportation and hospitality industries will benefit from this. We expect inflow from hosting this tournament of between J$70-100 million," he added.
Participating countries for the qualifiers will include the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago.
The JFF has also announced the experienced Wendell Downswell as head coach of the team, while Omar Edwards will be his assistant. Downswell is currently coach of Digicel Premier League outfit Reno, while Edwards is the assistant at Boys' Town.
THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) received a huge boost yesterday when the sport's regional governing body, CONCACAF, revealed the country's successful bid to host next February's regional Under-17 Championships.
The Championships will facilitate the qualification of four teams from the region for the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be staged in Mexico from June 18-July 10.
Last night, JFF president Captain Horace Burrell expressed pleasure with CONCACAF's decision and said he was expecting the tournament to push the development of football in the western parishes.
"A short while ago (yesterday) CONCACAF confirmed that Jamaica is selected as the host country for the CONCACAF Under-17 Football qualifiers which will take place between February 12 and 28 next year. I am extremely pleased with this decision as it will certainly help to give a fillip to western football development which, in recent times, has been facing numerous challenges," he said.
In early August, CONCACAF's general secretary Ted Howard toured and inspected the newly built Catherine Hall facility, the Jarrett Park ground and the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium. Burrell said that the regional federation will shortly announce the two venues which will be used during the tournament.
Burrell insisted that the JFF will be trying its utmost best to prepare youngsters for this tournament to ensure Jamaica's first qualification for an Under-17 World Cup since 1999 in New Zealand.
"We intend to go all out in preparing our Under-17 players for this very important tournament and will be giving our youngsters much needed international exposure which I'm sure will put them in good stead to qualify," he said.
"Hosting of this 12-nation tournament in Jamaica means a lot, not only to the football fraternity but certainly to the tourism industry. The hotel, transportation and hospitality industries will benefit from this. We expect inflow from hosting this tournament of between J$70-100 million," he added.
Participating countries for the qualifiers will include the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago.
The JFF has also announced the experienced Wendell Downswell as head coach of the team, while Omar Edwards will be his assistant. Downswell is currently coach of Digicel Premier League outfit Reno, while Edwards is the assistant at Boys' Town.
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Adrian Frater, News Editor
Linnel McLean
Western Jamaica:
The news that Jamaica has been selected to host next February's 12-nation CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup Qualifying Finals has sent ripples of joy across western Jamaica as the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) had previously announced that should Jamaica's bid be successful, western Jamaica would host the tournament.
"I am extremely happy about this because part of my long vision is for us to host as many international games and tournaments as possible," said Linnel McLean, the chairman of the JFF Western Confederation.
tweaking
"Our facilities will require a little tweaking but I am sure that come next February, we will be ready."
On Tuesday, JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell ann-ounced that Jamaica's bid to host the tournament had prevailed over those of our CONCACAF neighbours Honduras, Costa Rica, Canada and the United States, who were also seeking to host the tournament.
"This is great news because this means that the west will have an opportunity to see the best Under-17 players in CONCACAF right here in our backyard," said Pastor Hugh Solomon, St James High School daCosta Cup coach. "Hopefully, some of our bright young prospects from here in the west will get a chance to participate in this tournament."
The choice of the west came about primarily on the recommendation of CONCAF general secretary, Ted Howard, who toured and inspected western Jamaica's three premier venues, Jarrett Park and the new Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay and the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, in Falmouth, in early August.
"We would like to join Captain Burrell in asking for more top-class football facilities here in the west and across Jamaica in general," McLean stated. "We are happy for this Under-17 tournament but we would also like some of the major world tournaments in the future."
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JFF wants help to host CONCACAF U-17 qualifiers Captain Horace Burrell, JFF President.
Jamaica could lose the CONCACAF under-17 qualifiers, which is set for February in Montego Bay, St. James if the support to get the venues ready is not forthcoming.
That is the warning of Captain Horace Burrell, President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).
Burrell called for the private sector to get involved in the initiative to get the venues ready for the competition.
"There is a lot of work to be done to prepare the facilities to have a successful tournament. If the facilities are not up to a required standard by a particular date set by CONCACAF, then the tournament will be taken away from Jamaica which we as a proud people would never want to happen," Burrell said.
Also due in Montego Bay at the same time of the CONCACAF under-17 qualifiers is the Caribbean Football Union Congress.
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The qualification tournament is expected to take place between 12-28 February 2011 in Jamaica. No less than 12 teams will participate and four will qualify. The hosts of the 2010 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Mexico, qualify automatically but will still be among the field in Montego Bay.
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Canada announces U-17 camp and international matches
Share3 Keven Aleman The Canadian Soccer Association has announced it will hold a national U-17 camp from 22 October to 3 November in USA and Jamaica. The camp features a pair of international matches against USA in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as well as a pair of international matches against Jamaica in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Canada, whose title sponsor is BMO Financial Group, is currently preparing for the 2011 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship.
'We look forward to our matches against Jamaica and USA,' said Canadian national head coach Sean Fleming. 'These international matches are critical for our development as a team. It is also good for our team to be able to come to Jamaica before the CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship in February.'
Canada faces USA on 26 October and 28 October in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA. Canada then travels south to face Jamaica on 31 October and 2 November.
The 2011 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship runs 14-28 February in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This year’s championship will feature 12 teams with the top four qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Mexico 2011.
The USA and Jamaica camps will be coach Fleming’s fifth and sixth projects of the year. Incluing these projects, coach Fleming has featured 33 different players in 2010. Coach Fleming has selected 21 players for these two fall projects, with the Florida project running 22 to 29 October and the Jamaica project running 29 October to 3 November.
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JA National Under 17 to play Practice Games v Canada U-17 October 20, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jamaica will step up its preparation for the CONCACAF Under 17 World Cup Qualifiers when the Jamaica National Under 17 team will play two practice games against the Canada National Under 17 team on Sunday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 2 at Jarrett Park, St James.
Following up on his public commitment to facilitate the best possible preparation for the national team, President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell in commenting on the games said “We have every intention of not just hosting a successful event in February but also giving our team the best chance to be amongst the four teams qualifying out of the tournament. We know that practice games especially against international teams is an important way to sharpen our team’s preparation”
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More seats needed at MoBay Sports Complex — Burrell
BY PAUL A REID Observer West writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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ROSE HALL, St James — President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Captain Horace Burrell has called on government to increase the number of seats at the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall so the facility can host international football games.
"The seating at the Catherine Hall facility should be increased to 15-20,000 and flood lights put in so we can host international friendlies there," Burrell said at the JFF Congress held at the Iberostar resort on Sunday.
The Montego Bay Sports Complex will host the CONCACAF Under -17 finals set for February 2011 where 12 teams will vie for four places to the FIFA Under 17 World Championships.
Burrell said the improvement of the recently opened Catherine Hall facility was just one way in which the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and the government can "step up" and improve facilities around the island.
The former army man did not mince words in criticising the way the SDF was going about building sporting facilities and said they should take a page out of the book of the Trinidad and Tobago government who have built several mini stadia in strategic areas of the country.
"The SDF needs to change course and look at the bigger picture," Burrell said and suggested that instead of constructing facilities in remote areas, consideration should be made to build multi-purpose facilities in areas such as Portland in eastern Jamaica, Drax Hall in St Ann, May Pen in central Jamaica and Frome in Westmoreland.
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Meanwhile, having seen the team in their first preparation game on Sunday, JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell announced yesterday that the team will take part in a three-week training camp in Brazil, starting mid-December.
Yesterday, Burrell told journalists the JFF was "serious about youth development and... as such... has decided that to send the Under-17 squad to a training camp in Brazil to properly prepare them."
The 30-member delegation is to leave December 15 and return January 4. The team will play "at least eight games".
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Under-17 Reggae Boyz set for Brazil training camp Published: Wednesday | November 3, 2010
Jamaica's goalscorer André Lewis (left) battles for possession of the ball with Canada's Christopher Nanco during yesterday's game between the two teams at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay. Jamaica won the game 1-0. - Photo by Adrian Frater
Adrian Frater, News Editor
Western Bureau:
In a bid to ensure that the National Under-17 team is fully prepared for next February's CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, which will be staged here in Jamaica, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) will be sending the squad to Brazil for a 20-day training camp.
"After seeing the boys in Sunday's first game against Canada at Jarrett Park, we were not satisfied with the way they played," said JFF boss Captain Burrell.
"I immediately made contact with my Brazilian counterpart and arranged the training camp."
According to Burrell, the 30-member delegation, which will comprise of players, JFF officials and at least one tutor, is set to depart the island on December 15 and will return to Jamaica on January 4. During their time in Brazil, emphasis will be placed on the physical and tactical fine-tuning of the players.
"We are looking to play at least eight practice games in Brazil," added Burrell.
"The idea is to have the team sharp and ready when the CONCACAF tournament starts."
Special academic plans
As the camp coincides with the final week of the Christmas term, Burrell said discussions will be held with the Inter-Secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) to formulate a plan to ensure that the players' academic needs are also addressed.
"We would like to have at least two tutors going along with the players," stated Captain Burrell.
"We will be discussing the matter with ISSA with a view to getting their input."
Recognising that the venture will be a costly one, Burrell said the JFF will be turning to corporate Jamaica for assistance.
"If we expect to get the desired results out of our players, we need to invest in their development," Burrell said.
Following yesterday's second game, which the local team won 1-0, their head coach Wendell Downswell said the coaching staff is still seeking to recruit new players as there is a shortage of good players in some key positions.
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U-17 Reggae Boyz possible Brazil bound Wendell Downswell.
Jamaica's under-17 team may be headed to Brazil next month to continue preparations for next February's home qualifiers for the FIFA 2011 youth World Cup in Mexico.
The Jamaicans drew their two game friendly series 1-1 against Canada, who will also be among the 12 teams vying four for sports to the youth world cup.
The young Reggae Boyz rebounded from a 4-2 loss on Sunday to win the second 1-0.
"Next week we'll have another camp during the school boy competition and leading up. We're trying to get another two international games before they leave for Brazil because we recognise that they need international exposure. What we do to sharpen them locally is let them play against the premier league under-21 teams," said Wendell Downswell, national under-17 coach.
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Another key factor that Downswell must verify is that they will face quality u17 competition in Brazil. Although, they will be in Brazil, they do have some "Bush league" u17 teams there also, just a word of caution.
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Let's make the CONCACAF U-17 special
Adrian Frater - Jamaica Football Federation boss, Captain Horace Burrell (right), greet members of the Jamaica Under-17 team prior to their game against Canada recently.
Western Bureau:
Based on my many and varying experiences with elected officials over the years, I am usually not one to heap praise on politicians since, as far as I am concerned, they tend to humbug rather than enhance, and are usually more hot air than real substance.
However, I must admit that I was quite pleased, if not pleasantly surprised, when I learnt earlier this week that Montego Bay's mayor, Councillor Charles Sinclair Jr, had volunteered to chair the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for next February's CONCACAF Under-17 Champion-ships, which will be staged here in western Jamaica.
With Montego Bay set to be the hub of the 12-nation tournament, and with it poised to receive worldwide television coverage, Mayor Sinclair, realising that this is a perfect opportunity to showcase the city, has rightly decided to lead from the front and ensure that the city gets maximum mileage.
world powers
This upcoming tournament, which will feature established world powers such as Canada and the United States, is expected to bring a substantial amount of visitors, inclusive of media representatives, the footballers and their families to Montego Bay. It is therefore of critical importance that all requirements are put in place to ensure that our visitors have a pleasant stay.
While they are not listed as part of Mayor Sinclair's LOC, I believe the four members of parliament for St James - Derrick Kellier, Dr Horace Chang, Clive Mullings and Ed Bartlett - should all be drafted into the plans, as with their contacts they should be able to assist in ensuring that all the required needs are met.
Personally, I would like to see downtown Montego Bay cleaned up, especially the drains, which tend to get quite smelly whenever it rains. It would also be nice if we could get some of the store owners to give their store fronts a facelift, possibly including miniature national flags as a show of solidarity with our national team.
Since it is a youth tournament, it would also be nice if an initiative could be spearheaded by the business community to help our children procure tickets to attend the games at a reasonable cost. In addition to being a source of inspiration to our team, I am sure solid spectator support would make good television coverage.
I do hope that Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett will be on board in the organisation of this event, as this is yet another grand opportunity to showcase Jamaica as the wonderful tourism destination it is. People are generally influenced by what they see, and I am sure if we look good on international television we might just be able to attract more new visitors to our shores.
Personally, I would like to commend the JFF for bidding for and getting this very important tournament, because it will provide us with a glorious opportunity to build our reputation in the halls of power in world football.
It is even more important since we managed to outbid the likes of Canada, the United States and Costa Rica.
With Jamaica still woefully short of world-class sporting facilities, I would like to join Captain Burrell in calling on the Government to create at least four suitable stadiums at strategic locations across the island. With more quality facilities, I am sure that we will be able to move up from just CONCACAF tournaments to FIFA tournaments.
Finally, I do hope that whatever level of investment Jamaica puts in, this tournament will be of benefit to both our football and the national coffers. As a nation with an awesome sporting tradition, I hope this will be the beginning of a serious effort to cash in on the multimillion-dollar sports industry.
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Coca-Cola backing JA in hosting CONCACAF U-17 World Cup qualifiers
Coca-Cola through its Jamaican distributors Wisynco has thrown its support behind the CONCACAF Under-17 World Cup qualifiers set to be staged in Montego Bay, St. James from February 12 to 28.
The sponsorship includes cash, products and resources.
Hosts Jamaica heads the 12 team field which also includes Canada, Mexico, the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba.
The final two berths will be decided in the Dominican Republic from December 8 to 12 when it hosts Group "F" of the Caribbean qualifiers.
Howard McIntosh, who serves as chairman of the Jamaica Football Federation's Technical and Development Committee is thankful for Coca-Cola's support.
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Teams participating
* Canada * United States * Trinidad and Tobago * Cuba * Jamaica (hosts) * Costa Rica * El Salvador * Honduras * Panama * Guatemala * 2 additional team from CFU
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12/08/2010 U-17 Championship draw set for December 15
* RSS * * Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay, Jamaica Share |
NEW YORK - Teams qualified for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship will learn their first-round opponents on December 15 when the draw ceremony in Montego Bay, Jamaica, will divide the 12 sides into four, three-team groups.
RELATED COVERAGE Latest news Schedule/results More coverage
Host Jamaica will be placed with Canada, Costa Rica and the United States in one pot, while the four remaining Central American teams: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, will be grouped in a second pot.
Trinidad & Tobago and Cuba, which have clinched berths, will be joined in a last pot by two other Caribbean sides which will be determined at this week's final qualifying group in the Dominican Republic.
One team from each pots will be drawn into one of the four first-round groups in a ceremony at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa to be conducted by CONCACAF Deputy General Secretary Ted Howard and the confederation's Director of Marketing and Television Manolo Zubiria.
The February 14-27 event will be divided between the Trewlany Multi-Purpose Stadium, a 25,000-capacity venue used for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, and the 7,000-seat Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay.
Four teams from the CONCACAF finals will advance along with host Mexico to next year's Under-17 World Cup June 18-July 10.
Haiti just dismantle Guyana 7-0 and destroy the host Dominican Republic 6-0 to win his group and heading to Jamaica..there is only one team that scares me in Jamaica, the US only..
