Burrell outlines ambitious agenda

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Conceding that many of the goals that were set when he was re-elected in 2007 were not achieved, amid lofty expectations, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) boss, Captain Horace Burrell, hopes to make amends in the next three years.

Addressing Sunday's JFF Spe-cial General Meeting at the Iberostar Hotel in Montego Bay, where the unopposed re-instatement of the entire executive was ratified, the former army man turned football elite said Jamaica's failure to qualify for a FIFA world tournament in the just-concluded term was the administration's biggest disappointment.

Disappointment

"Our failure to qualify for even one of the FIFA World Cup tournaments was a huge disappointment," said Burrell. "It has not been smooth sailing, we have had difficulties, but if we are to improve we must learn from our experiences."

Burrell noted that despite the failure of the national teams, the term was not wasted as the time away from the spotlight was spent strengthening the basic infrastructure, which yielded some pleasing results.

Among the accomplishments Burrell found laudable and which he hopes will have a positive impact on the future of Jamaica's football were the following:

The establishment of the JFF coaching school at the University of Technology, which has a mandate to establish coaching criteria and certify local coaches. Some 280 coaches have since attained Level One certification;

The development of FIFA-sanctioned training courses for local referees, which have been yielding excellent results for far;

The hosting of numerous high-profile FIFA and CONCACAF events, which has given Jamaica a great deal of global attention. In declaring that FIFA holds the current administration in high esteem, Burrell said many of the events planned for the CONCACAF were being given to Jamaica because of the confidence the administration has inspired at the highest level.

Some of the major events that have either been confirmed or are under consideration for Jamaica are the following:

The upcoming FIFA women's symposium, which is geared towards plotting the path forward for women's football;

Jamaica being considered by FIFA as the possible home base for beach football;

Jamaica's selection to host next year's 12-team CONCACAF Under-17 Final, which is to be staged at a cost of US$1m;

The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) conference, featuring all 30-member states, will be stagedin Jamaica.

Looking towards the future, Burrell said that once local football officials continue to distinguish themselves, he would be making a special push to ensure that more of them are elected to positions within the leadership structure of CONCACAF.

"Once you continue to work hard, I will be pushing to ensure that Jamaica gets at least 50 per cent of the available positions in CONCACAF," Burrell told the delegates.

Having acknowledged the federation's failings during the 2007-2010 period, Burrell has big expectations for the future as he seeks to put the federation on a sustainable path.

The biggest plan on Burrell's agenda is to get Jamaica to qualify for the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, which he believes would make up for all the disappointments of recent years.

"We will be pulling out all the stops to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and we are calling on the entire nation to rally behind us," said Burrell. "Getting to Brazil will make up for all the disappointments we have had in recent times."

Among its other goals are the following:

Introducing new and creative initiatives to erase the federation's debts and create a surplus;

Plans to qualify national teams for all major male and female tournaments in CONCACAF;

Qualify for at least the Under-17 and Under-20 FIFA World Cup tournaments;

Intensify lobby to get Government to develop proper playing facilities in Jamaica, starting with one each in the four confederations;

Continue to work with the Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ) to help build stronger local clubs;

Strengthening its partnership with the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA).