TWO recent JFF-sponsored sojourns have enlightened my thinking. In July 2012 I was a student on the first JFF/Brazil Coaching Course, staged in Brazil.

There it was “forcefully” pointed out to us that, at least for the people at Traffic Academy, Sao Paulo FC and Santos FC, football is a business from which serious profits must always be made. Professor Adolfo Canavesi actually stated “Traffic exist not for the love of football, but because someone realised it’s good business”.

Last December, I was a member of a three-man delegation to the annual US Soccer Development Academy’s Winter College Showcase. For five days we watched football from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm across 22 football fields all located on one complex in Sarasota, Florida. The quality on display, in my humble opinion, was largely average. Strikingly though, the players had an admirable “sticktoitiveness” that never waned regardless of the score line or which players were on the pitch. It was almost mechanical, from the warm-up to the game to the cool down. Every player knew exactly what his role was and within his own limitations executed the basics with completeness of purpose.

When I add to these two perspectives the overwhelming admiration for the dexterity, guile and showmanship of the Jamaican player, I must conclude we are not doing nearly enough to create real wealth from our little gold mine. On every single coaching course I have attended where foreigners presented and Jamaican kids have been used for demonstration purposes the compliments for the quality of the kids have been nothing short of superfluous. In March 2011, while I was in Brazil with the U-20 team, an instructor brought in to teach our players “football movements” remarked afterwards: “I am currently doing my thesis on this subject and we have concluded it takes approximately 18 months for the typical Brazillian kid to develop these movements, your kids all seem to do it all naturally.’ I thought to myself pity you don’t know that our culture and daily lifestyles enable the development of these moves naturally.

In Sarasota the coaches made no qualms about their respect and regards for the Jamaican player. They have even coined interesting descriptions for our players; “spice, vanilla, surgeons, magician”, and so on.

To enable more Jamaican players to earn scholarships or international contracts and to ensure consistent qualification to at least the youth World Cups I posit the following proposal.

This proposal will require partnerships between the JFF, government, schools and the private sector. Key to this proposal is the development of players. International best practices take advantage of scientific knowledge and know-how. We must endeavour to develop our players along these lines.

Human beings are creatures of habits. The modern football player and team are developed along this premise. Countries/clubs develop a philosophy that is unique to their particular environment and culture. Once developed, this philosophy gauges the development of players throughout the entire structure. Characteristically the Jamaican player is fast, full of guile, strong, athletic, and passionate. To take full advantage of these traits we need to develop a training regimen that will enable the development of good habits that will eventually create the kind of consistent effort and quality that is required at the international level for sustained success.

This idea is based on the development of approximately 1,200 players divided into three age categories playing a minimum of 30 competitive games annually. Ideally speaking this concept would be best developed in an academy structure. In the absence of such a structure using parish teams will have to suffice. Each parish would develop three teams totalling 75 players; U-15 team 30 players, U-17 team 25 players and U-20 team 20 players. A total of 16 teams (Kingston and St Andrew have two each) at each age level would compete in a round-robin format in a season lasting 32 weeks from November to June. National select teams will participate in International Tournaments like the Dallas Cup or the Disney Cup. US Development Academy teams can be invited for pre season training and or off season tournaments.

Each team should be outfitted with a minimum three-man technical staff (one head coach, one GK/assistant coach and a physical trainer/physio) supported by a doctor and manager for each parish programme. This equates to 144 technical personnel and 56 doctors and managers. In the short term, staff should be volunteers rewarded with further training opportunities, travel opportunities, match tickets and a minimal stipend. This, I believe, is feasible given that most young coaches delight at the thought of making a meaningful contribution, which is recognised to the national programme.

Transportation is generally the most problematic cost for football teams. The Government, through the JUTC, should be approached to provide 6-8 buses to transport parish teams each weekend. Government should also be approached re stipend for the technical staff probably through INSPORTS.

Each parish will identify the two best-playing surfaces in the parish to host games.

The programme will require an eight-week pre-season to run from November through December. The competitive season will run for 24 weeks from January to June with all matches played on Saturdays. A maximum of six weekday matches may be accommodated to allow for forced postponements or to take advantage of holiday breaks.

Teams will be coached Mondays through Fridays following a prescribed format, for example:

Mondays – technical defensive

Tuesdays – technical offensive

Wednesdays – tactical defensive

Thursdays – tactical offensive

Fridays – activation (scrimmage) and set play actions

Training sessions should last no more than two hours each day and must follow well-developed programme and session plans approved by the technical director.

Players should be fed a meal after training. This is where private sector partnerships, including the PLCA through its clubs, should be sought.

All technical staff should meet to assess and appraise the programme once per month.

The national kit sponsors should be approached to sponsor kit for each team.

Editor’s note: Andrew C Edwards (BA, Dip Ed) is a teacher and coach of the Munro College daCosta Cup team and a former national Under-20 assistant coach.