By Damoy Rowe
Jamaica has been selected by FIFA to be included in its Talent Coach Programme. The country was chosen from the one hundred and fifty-eight FIFA Member Associations that applied for the position.
As part of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS), FIFA is rolling out the Talent Coach Programme to actively assist Member Associations (MAs) with support on the ground. Under the umbrella of the TDS, this initiative aims to accelerate elite youth player development by increasing contact time for the most talented players in a country and guiding, advising, and mentoring the local coaches who are working directly with those players.
FIFA will be funding the Head of the local National Academy, Dan Cooke, for two years, as well as the Talent Coach Project, which is a major milestone for Jamaica, being that this initiative aligns itself with the plan for the country’s national youth programme.
The National Academy will accommodate boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 16 years and will create the best possible environment to generate improvement.
The expected aim of this project is to create an atmosphere that nurtures the future of Jamaica’s football and that will help the young talent develop and ultimately fulfil the potential of making it to the World Cup again, and not just participating but also competing.
The JFF is currently going through a rigorous talent identification process, which will continue until the end of December.
Meanwhile, the Federation has been busy over the last few days and has extended its arrangement with Xavier Gilbert in his role as caretaker coach for the national senior women’s football team.
Gilbert was initially asked to take charge of the team for the two Concacaf Gold Cup qualifiers against Panama and Guatemala; however, he’s now being asked to remain at the helm for the return legs in Kingston on November 29 and in Guatemala City on December 3.
