U-17s extend stay in Brazil

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has forked out an additional US$70,000 (J$6,004,600) to extend the national Under-17 training camp currently being held in Brazil for an additional three weeks to end on January 24, 2011.

The team is preparing for next February's CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, which will be staged in western Jamaica beginning February 14, 2011.

JFF president Captain Horace Burrell believes the money being spent on the camp is a prudent investment.

"I make no apology in saying this is a wise investment in our youths and it is something that we have to do," Burrell said. "Going to Brazil for them has been expensive but we think it is in the end going to be money well spent because it takes them out of this environment and puts them in one where they will sleep, eat and drink football for six weeks," he added.

Twenty-two players, along with the technical staff headed by coach Wendell Downswell, have been in Brazil since December 15 where they have been involved in daily training sessions, including on-the-field tactical and technical preparation, theory work in the classroom, strength training exercises and practice games.

Burrell's plans for the youngsters extend beyond the upcoming qualifiers as he envisions this crop of players forming the base for the 2014 World Cup campaign.

"The rationale behind all of this is that we are trying to prepare our team to qualify in the upcoming Under-17 tournament," Burrell shared. "We want to do everything that is humanly possible to give them the best chance of qualifying. We think that the nucleus of our players for the next World Cup could very well come from this group of youngsters," he further disclosed.

Few changes

There will be a few changes to the delegation currently in Brazil. Head of delegation, Everton Tomlinson, will return to Jamaica and will be replaced by president of the St Elizabeth FA, Patrick Malcolm. Rusea's High School goalkeeper, Richard Trench, will also join the team. They are all scheduled to travel on Tuesday, January 4.

Three players will also return, Romario Thompson for medical reasons and two overseas-based players (Shane Hardie and Jevani Brown) will be returning for school-related reasons. The federation has also secured the support of two tutors who will travel on January 4 to conduct classes and individual tutoring lessons with the players for the entire period of the extension.

Upon returning to the island, the youngsters will be given a stern test, as they will play two high-profile friendlies against the United States in Montego Bay on January 27 and 30.