1 week ago
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JAMAICA FOOTBALL Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts is very pleased with the transition of the national under-15 players, who won the Concacaf under-15 League B competition with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico, in Aruba, on the weekend.
Ricketts pointed out that 13 players from the under-14 squad that won the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) tournament last year made the transition to the under-15s this year.
Now he is hoping that the majority of these players will also make the transition to the under-17 team, as he declared that the intention is to groom this group for FIFA Youth World Cup qualification.
“The prospect seems quite bright, because 13 of the under-14s that won the CFU tournament last year were in this under-15 squad, and they virtually had to step up in class because this is a Concacaf tournament.
“So people have done exceedingly well. Last year in the under-14, they were convincing in victory, like they were this year. They were down 1-0 in the first half (u14 final) and came back in the second half and scored seven goals.
“This year they scored 15 goals and conceded two, which is a very good record. And winning the tournament was no ordinary feat,” he said.
“So a number of the under-14s have made the transition to the under-15, which is a good sign. But it doesn’t always work that way, because some do get lost along the way.
“But to have 13 of them come over to the under-15 squad augurs well for the programme, and we are expecting that a number of these players will make the transition to the under-17s.
“The under-17 World Cup is every year. So if we can have this kind of turnover, this kind of transition, then certainly we will do very well, as the truth is, the World Cup is the big picture. We must try and get these young players to the World Cup.”
He noted that the national team has been unearthing some very promising talent, and that they want to ensure that these young players continue to get exposure and development so the country can consistently compete for a place in the now annual Youth World Cup.
“We are definitely working on the transition of our younger players, and when we have players who are potentially good players, we have to work with them
“So that is what we want, to get the youngsters to roll over, so they can positively impact whatever age group they will be a part of.
“We have some very good, exciting players, and we must make sure that at this level we expose those players as best as possible.
“We are focusing on ensuring that we get the best of our young players. We have a TDS (talent development scheme) programme that has worked wonders.
“Jamaica was one of the countries selected by FIFA to be a part of this TDS programme, and it had a great impact on the under-14s last year and on the under-15s this year,” he said.
Coach of the under-15 team, Andrew Peart, who also coached the under-14s to victory last year, received high praise from Ricketts, who believes the youngsters have continued to progress well under his watch.
Ricketts admitted that over the years, the change in coaching personnel, as young players move through the ranks, has deprived players of consistency in their coaching development, and said they will consider Peart making the transition to the under-17s with this crop of players.
“Peart is on a path to becoming an excellent coach. I want to use this opportunity to congratulate Andrew Peart and the rest of his coaching staff. I think the youngsters are in very good hands.
“Based on the feedback I got, the coach made a lot of difference and we are very excited. We want to make sure that whatever we do is in the best interest of our national units and players. So certainly, if that (Peart to transition with the players) is a consensus amongst directors, then certainly we will consider it, because we want to positively impact our programmes.
“So it is not far-fetched that Mr Peart could make the transition, as we want to do everything to ensure that our national teams get the best support.”
English (US) ·