The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), in association with telecommunication company Digicel, steps up its grassroots programme with the start of Year Two of the programme today at the Yallahs Pavillion in St Thomas.

Year one of the programme which covered the period May 2012 to April 2013 saw 2000 children, age 6-12 being introduced to the sport through grassroots festivals. The festivals are broken down into small sided games through which some fundamentals of the sport are introduced. Guided by the principle that the more children play is the more they learn and the more they learn is the more they play, the programme was hailed by JFF parish presidents as ‘a remarkable success’.

The festivals are guided by coach educators who are taught through a coaching education workshop the best means and ways to teach the sport to the young. Some 500 coach educators across the island participated in the programme in 2012.

Year Two of the programme targets a minimum of 14 festivals, 18 coaching education workshops and four Reggae kids festivals.

In addition, the following are the new elements to be introduced in Year Two: The appointment of 14 parish grassroots co-ordinators to drive the grassroots programme at the parish level; greater emphasis on the teaching of skills and basic technique of the game through small sided games. Studies have been conducted to show, and observations confirm, that children get more enjoyment and learn more from playing in small-sided games.

They get more touches of the ball; learn more quickly; and have to make more decisions (greater concentration is therefore required because the ball is never far away). There are also more goal scoring possibilities and are more involved in more attacking and defensive movements. In short they learn more.

Basic skills to be emphasised will be control: running with the ball; passing, shooting, headers, goalkeeping techniques; the introduction of one day tournaments; the JFF with the assistance of FIFA will be providing equipment to the parishes to have a continuing grassroots development programme; the strengthening of the data base of participating children and educators.

The Coach Educators session begins at 10:00 am and the festival which targets 100 children (girls and boys) at 1:00 pm.

The Digicel/JFF Grassroots festival is held in association with the St Thomas FA.