Causes of the deficiency of world class

home-grown Jamaica footballers

Name: Akeem Solomon

Centre Number:
Candidate Number:
Subject: Communication Studies
Acknowledgments
This project was the culmination of efforts of many persons and not only myself.

Without the contributions of them, the completion of this research project would not

have come to fruition to whom I must extend ultimate gratitude.

The researcher is thankful for the guidance of his Caribbean Studies teacher, Ms.

Gordon, whose input was important in completing the research properly so that the

research was of standards required of CXC.

The researcher is very thankful of efforts made my friends and family in completing this

project. Special thanks must be made to those who assisted in the distribution and

recovery of questionnaires. Warm thanks are also made to friends who proofread this

project and offered suggestions. Finally, the researcher is also thankful to his parents

for the motivation to complete this project to the best of his ability.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Background to the Research....................................................................................................................4
Purpose of the Research..........................................................................................................................4
Value of the Research..............................................................................................................................4
Statement of the Research......................................................................................................................5
Objectives of the Research......................................................................................................................5
Technical Terms used in the Study..........................................................................................................5
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................7
Data Collection Sources.............................................................................................................................10
Presentation of Data..................................................................................................................................11
Analysis of Data.........................................................................................................................................17
Discussion of Findings................................................................................................................................18
Conclusions, Limitations, and Recommendations.....................................................................................20
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................20
Limitations.............................................................................................................................................20
Recommendations.................................................................................................................................21
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................22
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................23
Questionnaire A.....................................................................................................................................23
Questionnaire B.....................................................................................................................................24
Questionnaire C.....................................................................................................................................25
Introduction
Background to the Research
Football is the world's most popular sport. This is no different in Jamaica.

Consequently, the Jamaica Football Federation sends teams to participate in the FIFA

World Cup qualification process. Jamaica's qualification in for the 1998 FIFA World Cup

caused mass euphoria in Jamaicans (both at home and in the diaspora). Even though

they were knocked out at the group stages with four points (one win, one draw and one

loss), Jamaica was proud of the performance of the Reggae Boyz. Since, Jamaica has

failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals yet Japan, over whom the Reggae Boyz

claimed their sole victory, has consistently made it to knockout rounds in subsequent

World Cups, Trinidad has made it to the Finals since and numerous other countries

smaller than us in population, size, and economy have made it to World Cup Finals.

Faced with this reality, many have lambasted the poor performances of foreign-based

players and questioned if our local-bred players are really worse than them.

Purpose of the Research

The researcher hopes to ascertain the state of the youth football infrastructure in

Jamaica. The researcher also aims to determine the difference between the footballing

education of home-grown Jamaicans and naturalized Jamaicans who were educated in

football in first world countries.

Value of the Research

The research will benefit the researcher by exposing the researcher to football

coaching which is a field that interests the researcher. The results of this research

would benefit the Jamaican Football Federation as they could utilise them to improve
the footballing landscape as to assist Jamaica’s attempt in being a big player in major

international football tournaments which (if successful) would boost morale of the

population.

Statement of the Research

What are the causes of the Jamaica's inability to produce international calibre

footballers?

Objectives of the Research

 Why are there not enough home-grown players in the national team?

 What is the state of the youth football infrastructure in Jamaica?

 Do many youth footballers make the transition to professional football?

 Do many youth footballers believe they can make professional football their sole

income earner?

Technical Terms used in the Study

FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) - This is the International

Governing Body of Football.

CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association

Football) - One of six continental member governing bodies of FIFA.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) - Jamaica's Governing Body of Football. The JFF is

a member of CONCACAF.

Home-grown Player- A football player that spent an extensive period of time

(approximately 6 years of the 14-21 years of age) as youth footballer in a country

[Jamaica].
Youth Football - Football played non-professionally by persons under 21 in specified

age groups. This includes: under-21, under-19, under-17, under-15 and more.

International Tournaments- Football tournaments sanctioned by FIFA which are played

by national senior teams.

Literature Review

Football is a sport played by two teams of eleven players each. According to a

Gleaner Article by Robert Bailey,[ CITATION Rob12 \l 8201 ], it is the belief of one of our best

coaches, Neville Bell, that Jamaica needs football academies in order to increase the

quality of players across the island. This is because at academies, more time is spent

with the players to learn how to play the sport which will increase their understanding of

the game hence, make them better players. Implementing such a system would lead to

the beginning of Jamaica adopting the European model of academies where players

board at an institution (usually run by a parent club team, to serve as a feeder to the

senior team) whose footballing, educational, nutritional and other important needs are

taken care of. These institutions have been very successful and have formed footballing

philosophies and cores of the F.C. Barcelona team of 2008-2011 and the Ajax teams of

the 1980s and 1990s.

Jamaica’s senior national football team has not qualified for a World Cup since

1998. According to the article penned by Tony Becca, [ CITATION Ton13 \l 9225 ], this is due

to the inability to produce quality players in Jamaica.

In the article posted by ESPN FC, [ CITATION Uli13 \l 9225 ], Uli Hesse uses the

article to entail the process the German national football federation underwent to bring

the German National Football Team back to the top of the Football landscape which is

where they are today. Two German club teams (Bayern Munich and Borussia

Dortmund) contested the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final and the German

National Team has made it to the semi-finals of the last four international tournaments
they have been in (World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, Euro 2012) in

addition to winning numerous titles at the youth level (Under 21, Under 19, Under 17).

The German football infrastructure underwent a massive overhaul (especially at the

grassroots level) after the two disappointing performances at World Cup 1998 and Euro

2000. Hesse wrote this article during the English call for improvement in their football

structure. Even though this article is of a large European country, Football is a sport

played by eleven players so the size of a squad is often irrelevant and this article can be

used to serve as a benchmark against which all other countries can be compared

including Jamaica.

An article published by The Guardian written in 2012 after the successful exploits

of Caribbean athletes gives reason for the athletes' outstanding performance at the

Olympics past the traditional argument that "Black" athletes are simply physically

superior. The article stated that if the emergence of Caribbean was simply down to the

West African genes then countries such as: United States of America, Brazil, Nigeria,

Ghana and other West African countries would be doing as well as Jamaica and other

Caribbean countries today. Rather, the author suggests that the success of the

Caribbean nations is down to economic policies in the 1960s and 1970s which enabled

easier access to healthcare and education which are coming to fruition today. Although

this article is specifically referencing Athletics and not Football, the sports are similar in

the physical nature which they require. This article can be used as some comparison

between the success of Football and Athletics in the Caribbean in the 2000s.

Over the last 20 years, the footballing landscape has changed beyond

recognition. There is a greater use of technology, athletes have a greater sense of

professionalism and there is a greater use of the scientific method to enhance the

performance of athletes. It seems Jamaica has been left behind in the "Dark Ages" yet

the JFF has been seemingly shell-shocked in the absence of success.

Data Collection Sources

In order for this research project to be feasible, primary sources and secondary

sources were of importance to the researcher.

Many online articles were used as secondary sources to get an understanding of

the research problem which served as the basis of the Literature Review. These were

The German Revolution, Genes May Help but Caribbean Athletes were nurtured to

success, Look At Jamaica’s Football, St. George’s College to Launch Football Academy

in April. The latter two helped to identify what to look for in the research. The former two

articles were used to get an idea of the potential benefits of good infrastructure on

sports.

The primary method of data collection was survey. The surveys were

administered using questionnaires. Three different questionnaires were given to

different groups: one to youth footballers (Appendix A), one to school football coaches

(Appendix C) and the final to club football coaches (Appendix B). 15 players from

varying schools in the Kingston Metropolitan Area were chosen for the sample for

questionnaire A. 5 head coaches of prominent club football and school programs in the

urban area. Players and coaches of successful and prominent teams were chosen as to

give insight into how our best and brightest talents are trained and how they consider

the sport. Online repositories of information of: teams and matches at international

tournaments, school boy tournaments, schoolboy football winners, ranking history and

international squad lists were useful to the research. The combination of these were all

of great use to the research.

Presentation of Data

Duration of school football training

Start End
July October
June November
July November
June October
June November
Figure 1: Average duration is July to November

Duration of club football training

Start End
April June
April June
April June
April June
March June
Figure 2: Average duration is April to June

More important competition

12

10

0
Club Football School Football

Figure 3 School football is more important to the players

Completion of club football training

Completed Non-completed
8 4
Figure 4: Most players completed their club football season.

Have been scouted

9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Scouted Not scouted

Figure 5: Most players have not been scouted

Seeking scouting
12

10

0
Want to be scouted Does not want to be scouted

Figure 6: Most players want to be scouted.

 School Football Hours per week
30

25

20

15

10

0
Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5

Figure 7: Average time spent training in school is 21 hours a week

Club Football Hours per week

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5

Figure 8: Average time spent training in club is 16 hours a week

 Number of clubs
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
No gym Singular Equipment in gym Multiple equipment in gym

Figure 9: Most clubs are without access to gym facilities.

Number of Schools

Multiple equipment in gym

Singular Equipment in gym

No gym

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Figure 10: All schools have gyms and a significant proportion has multiple equipment in gym
 Number of Schools
3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
1 field 2 fields 3 fields

Figure 11: All schools have fields but most have only one.

Number of clubs
3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
1 field 2 fields 3 fields

Figure 12: Most clubs have multiple fields for training.

 Number of Schools

Massage

Physiotherapy

None

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Figure 14: Almost no schools have facilities to treat muscles after training

Number of clubs
2.5

1.5

0.5

0
None Physiotherapy Massage

Figure 15: An almost even proportion of clubs have facilities to treat muscles after training.
Analysis of Data
From the data collected available, most footballers participate in both a school

football program and a club football program. Even though many participated in both

programs, performing well for their school is of higher importance to the player than

performing well for their club.

It is seen from the data that approximately 20 hours a week is spent training

during the year in school. The school teams train from July to November. 16 hours a

week is spent training in club football. The club football season lasts from April to June.

It is also seen that there is a limited access to facilities and coaches are mostly

uncertified at club football programs. Clubs have only one or two fields to their disposal

for training. No clubs have access to gyms or massagers. Most schools only have a

gym but not much equipment and no clubs have access to gyms, so players must sort

that out for themselves, probably at a cost.

Most players hope to be scouted but only 4 of the 12 have been scouted by

universities or senior club teams.

Most coaches believe their players will eventually play professional football but

only a few are of the quality to play for Jamaica and almost none are likely to play in a

major European League.

Discussion of Findings

After the analysis of the data collected, many aspects of the research become

more evident to the researcher.

Most youth football education takes place in the school through the extra-

curricular facility and while most respondents participate in club football, it is on the back

burner for them. This is problematic as the school football training lasts from July to

November for most teams and club football lasts from April to June which leaves most

footballers inactive for approximately four months of the year. This is in itself is

especially problematic as that one third of the year when players are supposed to be

solidifying their understanding of the fundamentals of the game. Another problem is that

only 20 hours of each week is spent on practicing football. This is in stark contrast to

European teams, which are at the top of the international game of football, who train

upwards of 40 hours a week in football academies. Clearly, Jamaican footballers are at

a disadvantage to the Europeans in terms of exposure to football education. By the

same stroke of the pen, the thought that Jamaica’s underperformance in football and

success in athletics is due to a genetic lottery which results in naturally talented

sprinters across the board, and young males without the mentality or the physical

capabilities to become successful footballers. This is false. As stated in the article by

Drayton Richard, the success of the Jamaicans is mostly down to economic and social

policies which allowed for Jamaican youngsters to participate in athletics. Which raises

the issue of what is the infrastructure in place for football training which segues into my

next point.
 Club teams and school teams were seen to not have access to much facilities to

much equipment or highly certified coaches. While the coaches may have gained much

experience while working, without certification and training they may not be keeping with

the training techniques of the time and as such, would not train their players to the best

possible standard. Without access to top level facilities or enough facilities, players are

not able to train cohesively as a team and able to maximise their efforts.

It can also be seen that many of best talents do not believe that they can make

an income playing football professionally or believe they can represent the country. This

can definitely have a negative in training as players may not be as focused or as

determined to make an effort to become better players. Only 2/3 of all players are

actively seeking to be scouted by a club or university. This means that most players do

not think of themselves progressing to an advanced level which may mean that the

players do not think themselves as high quality footballers.

Most coaches believe that their players will not be of the ability to play in a major

European league but most will play in the national local league at some point. Many

players do not think of themselves to be of the standard required for top level.
Conclusions, Limitations, and Recommendations
Conclusion

After analysing the data, the researcher was able to conclude that the number of

home-grown players in the national senior playing squad is determined by a myriad of

factors but most importantly the belief is that, generally, the players are not of

international standard and will be standing as is for at least the short term.

Youth football primarily takes place in school programs where there are many

coaches who are uncertified. Many players participate in club football programs. But

more facilities are available at the school level.

Many footballers are expected to make the transition to professional football but

they do not see it to be their sole income earner.

Limitations

All Jamaicans could not be represented by the study as the sample consisted of

coaches and schoolboys from the Kingston Metropolitan Area. Therefore, this study is

only limitedly representative of the urban area rather than Jamaica as a whole.

The study focused on as investments made recently could only have effects in

the mid-term (6-10 years) so these considerations

3 of the 15 questionnaires that were distributed to schoolboy players were not

completed so the conclusions made from the intended sample may not be necessarily

representative of the intended population.

Recommendations
One recommendation is that the JFF seek investment from either: the private

sector, Ministry of Sport, FIFA, or CONCACAF so that it can invest in high performance

academies. The JFF should seek to invest into infrastructure that houses, teaches, and

trains 17-19 age old males (a footballing finishing school) as it is only through producing

better players here will we have more players in top European leagues which will boost

our performance in international tournaments.

Another recommendation is that the JFF seek greater investment into the local

leagues to attract higher quality players to the league which in turn will lead more

youngsters to take football seriously as they can see it as a viable profession if they do

not make it abroad and not only as a past-time. Also make it the priority of club teams in

the local league to invest in youth infrastructure so that the quality of instruction they

receive is of a high order.

My final recommendation is that the JFF embark on a coaching qualification

campaign as to raise the standards of the youth coaches. This will benefit the players as

they will be exposed to more opportunities locally and abroad.

Bibliography
Bailey, R. (2012, January 14). St George's College To Launch Football Academy In April.
Retrieved from http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120114/sports/sports13.html.
Becca, T. (2013, October 20). Look at Jamaica's Football. Retrieved from The Gleaner:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20131020/sports/sports3.html
Drayton, R. (2012, August 15). Genes may help, but Caribbean Olympians were nurtured to
success. Retrieved from The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/aug/15/caribbean-olympics-athletics-
genes
Hesse, U. (2013, October 10). The German Revolution. Retrieved from ESPN FC:
http://espnfc.com/columns/story/_/id/1576952/the-german-revolution?cc=3888
Appendix
Questionnaire A

1. What is your age?

2. Have you participated in either the ISSA Under-16 Football competition or the ISSA
Under-14 football competition?
3. Do you think it is more important to play well in schoolboy football or club football?
4. Indicate percentage of games that you played in the last schoolboy football season.
5. What was the duration of training for the 2013 schoolboy football season?
6. Indicate which club competitions you have participated in.
7. Indicate percentage of games that you participated in the last youth football season.
8. What was the duration of training for the 2013 club football season?
9. Did you train for the entirety of the 2013 club football season?
a) If no, why not?
10. Do you practice football outside of club or school football? If yes, answer the next 3
questions.
a) How many hours a week?
b) How many weeks a year?
c) Who do you train with?
11. Why do you play football now?
12. What grade are you in?
13. Do you intend to attend sixth form? If yes, do you hope to play football in there and
why?
14. Do you intend to attend university? If yes, do you hope to play football there and
why?
15. Have you been scouted by university or club?
16. Are you actively seeking to be scouted?
17. Are you pursuing professional football as a career?
18. If yes, how do you intend to do this?
19. Where do you intend to play professionally? If you do not intend to play
professionally, select “No”.
Questionnaire B

1. How long have you been coaching?

2. What are the certifications of all coaches involved with the under-19 team?
3. How many coaches are involved with the under-19?
4. What training facilities do the youth players here have access to (fields, gyms
(multiple equipment), multiple goals, massage centre, etc)?
5. How many days does the most senior youth team (under-19) train weekly during the
season?
6. How many hours does this team train weekly during the season?
7. How many players are a part of your 2013 under-19 team?
8. How many of these players do you believe could earn a comfortable income from
playing football alone if they were to pursue it in Jamaica or abroad?
9. Do you think players can earn an income to live a comfortable and sustainable life
from playing football in Jamaica?
10. Do you think that Jamaican players in the local leagues are of quality required to
qualify for a World Cup?
Questionnaire C

1. How many coaches are available for all the senior squad?
2. What are the certifications of these coaches?
3. How many players were a part of 2013 the senior (U-19) squad?
4. What facilities do you have available at your school for football training (fields, gyms
(multiple equipment), multiple goals, massage centre, etc)?
5. How many members of your current squad do you think have the potential to play
for Jamaica?
6. How many members of your current squad do you think have the potential to play
for a club team in a major European league (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga,
Serie A, Ligue Un)?
7. How many members of your current squad do you think have the potential to play
for a professional European team? (Do not include players you selected in question
9)
8. How many members of your current squad do you think will play play for Jamaica?
9. How many members of your current squad do you think will play play for a club
team in a major European league (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A,
Ligue Un)?
10. How many members of your current squad do you think will play for a professional
European team? (Do not include players you selected in question 12.)
11. Why do you think there is a discrepancy between answers in questions 8-10 and
questions 11-13 respectively?
12. How many players do you believe will earn a comfortable income from playing
football alone?
13. Do you think players can earn an income to live a comfortable and sustainable life
from playing football in Jamaica?
14. Do you think that Jamaican players in the local leagues are of quality required to
qualify for a World Cup?