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PROFESSIONALISM NOW Professional football is played in Mexico, the United States, Canada and throughout Central America particularly in Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. The clubs, players, National Associations, referees, media, government and populations of these nations contribute to and participate in the sport to very high degrees (varying from country to country). In Mexico and Central America football is entrenched in their cultures; a veritable passion. The National Associations of these countries are of course, affiliated to FIFA through the CONCACAF confederation of which Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean are also members. This means that we must compete against these nations at some stage to qualify for participation in the final stages of the various FIFA World Championships. The record will show that Jamaica and the Caribbean have been mainly unsuccessful in such qualification efforts (Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica have had limited successes). Conversely Mexico, Costa Rica and the US have been consistent qualifiers at all levels while El Salvador, Honduras and Panama have had limited successes. The consistency maintained by the leading three nations is directly related to the quality and size of their professional leagues. Other contributory factors include population size, economic prowess, national and sports histories and the contribution and participation of all sectors of their societies. The professionalism currently exhibited by these countries was developed over time. The quality of their administrations, the sophistication of the physical facilities, the higher level of play, the spectator support, sponsorship support and governmental empowerment all grew from initially lesser levels to their current status. This was no different in Europe and South America. The main point of note here is that professional football was established and has grown to previously unprecedented levels worldwide. If Jamaica is to become a consistent qualifier in the various world championships full professional football must be established by way of a professional league. The details of its formation will have to be developed and fine-tuned. The initial operation of the league must include the following characteristics, inter alia:-
In order to facilitate growth and development full internationally accredited coaching courses must be established. Referees training and qualification must also become a consistent process. Administrative training would be necessary. The inclusion of professionally trained medical staff together with the appropriate equipment would also be a feature of the league. The league administration would be separate from the JFF’s and would preferably be located elsewhere. The administration would be fully staffed and headed by a chief executive who would be a Director of the company. Each participating club would be required to employ a staff structure, which would be agreed by all parties. A minimum staff complement would be determined and be adhered to. Details of remuneration at all levels would be developed at general meetings. The protocol for transfer of players, coaches and other relevant personnel would be fully elaborated. Welfare, medical treatment, insurances and other relevant protection policies would be developed and entrenched. The distribution of proceeds from the commercial agreements would also be developed with the usual bias to the more successful clubs. The company would also benefit from its income. Our players who are benefiting from professional exposure abroad have displayed the level of preparedness that has been achieved up to now. A push to local professionalism would enhance the prowess of all the participants, as weak and substandard performances will lead to failures, which will not be tolerated and removed automatically. Professionalism now requires major and committed input from the JFF, the clubs, referees, administrators, potential sponsors/partners, the media, government and the population at large. The work must start now. Those who are serious should come on board and let the formulation commence. A football industry properly structured will increase employment and become a net foreign currency earner. We are no longer purely recreational; we certainly provide major entertainment.
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