Brown is on Top of the World

Deshorn Brown, the Colorado Rapids forward is on top of the world this week. The Jamaican National Team started Brown on their roster last week. He played the game against Serbia on May 26th and he will be playing against Switzerland on May 30th, and Egypt on June 4th. Although Jamaica lost to Serbia 2-1, they still have the chance to comeback with the next game against Switzerland. When it came to qualifications for the World Cup for the 2014 year, only Switzerland and Serbia were qualifiers and both teams have been set to play Jamaica.



Deshorn has scored two times out of four in playing with Jamaica and although Jamaica did not qualify for the World Cup this year, it will be an outstanding opportunity for Deshorn to show his stuff on the field this year in his second time playing with the Jamaican team. The Vice President of Soccer Operations, Paul Bravo, seems very pleased that Deshorn has been given the opportunity to play and had stated that Deshorn has the ability to now show his country as well as his club just how high his abilities are in the game.

Jamaica's Raheem Sterling Will Contribute His Talents To England's World Cup Team

After a disappointing campaign in the 2010 World Cup, England is ready to get back on track for this year when they head to Rio, and among the talented and well-known names on their roster appears another young up and coming star, Raheem Sterling. Sterling has certainly deserved the talking points he's gotten, and while he may not be Usain Bolt in the flesh, he certainly brings tremendous speed out there on the field. Sterling has played for England's U-16, U-19, and U-21 team in addition to playing for Liverpool's football club in the EPL, and now he'll get his big shot for the senior World Cup team.

Only 2nd Ever Jamaican On England's World Cup Team

Sterling is one of only 2 Jamaicans ever to be playing on England's World Cup team, the only other being 1986 star John Barnes. Barnes also played for Liverpool while impressing with his performances in the World Cup, and for Sterling, he hopes to follow up a highly successful season with the club in Rio. Sterling has had 9 goals scored along with 5 assists this last season for Liverpool.

 

 

England's 2nd 19-Year Old World Cup Player

At 19 years of age, Sterling has drawn comparisons to another former young star of World Cups past, the unforgettable Michael Owen. Owen was also 19 when he burst onto the World Cup scene in France, and went on to have an impact performance when he scored what's been ruled as one of England's greatest goals of all time. But for Sterling, whenever the topic of Michael Owen has been brought up, he merely shrugs it off and states that he is not looking to do what Owen did, he is merely going to do what it takes to help his team. Sterling has given full credit to his teammates who have helped him to get to where he is today, and hopes to build off of that.

Will Women's Football in Jamaica Expecting Brighter Day

Jamaican women's football is proud to have Cedella Marley as the ambassador of the Reggae Girlz. Marley has teamed with Lavern Deer, the founder of Jamaica International Female Football Development (JIFFD) to promote the team and sport. Cedella is the daughter of the famous reggae musician, Bob Marley. Deer points out the potential influence that Marley's name alone will provide as she'll be able to capture the attention of donors in order to advance the Girlz as well as the Jamaican Football Federation.

Jamaica soccer women have endured a continual struggle due to insufficient support both in terms of financing, training opportunities and things like poor nutrition and inferior training equipment. It is hoped that the addition of Marley will shed some light on the sport's uphill battle and result in the money and support that is necessary to properly fund the Reggae Girlz. The goal is to recruit long term supporters that will help the program flourish for decades into the future. If the team is provided with the proper training development and financial support, it will eventually be able to seriously compete with the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Deer has spent years researching how to run a successful program. One of her specific goals is to recruit corporate support so that the Reggae Girlz receive the financial backing that is necessary to achieve long term success. Deer admits that the short term goal is to get the senior level team to the World Cup competition. She thinks that the addition of Marley and her associates will allow the squad to tap into vital resources.
The team's participation in the highly successful U-17 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in Montego Bay last year goes to show that the sport is economically viable and there is significant public interest that will only grow in the future.

Specifically, Marley will work with Deer to determine what the Girlz' most pressing needs are in terms of training, nutrition and travel expenses. They'll collaborate to develop a plan of action and implement it to the best of their abilities. They've both agreed that international camps and exhibition matches are two key steppingstones to raising the sport's profile and capturing much needed media attention.

Deer likes to point out that FIFA is pressing for the growth and further development of female football around the globe. She hopes that this massive effort will provide the catalyst that spurs big time investors to lend a helping hand. The recent addition of the senior level Girlz squad is definitely a shot in the arm for women's football. The team had to suspend operations for 4 straight seasons due to poor funding. Now that the senior team is back and Marley is on board with the cause, the profile of women's football will only rise higher from here on out.

Cedella Marley Help Sending the Jamaican Soccer Team to 2015 Women's World Cup

The Reggae Girlz is a Jamaican Soccer women's club that has been rising to the top of the ranks and may even perform well enough to join in the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Unfortunately, they may be held back from being part due to a lack of funding from the Jamaican Football Federation that leaves them without the means for activities such as traveling for scrimmages.

The good news is that Bob Marley’s oldest daughter Cedella wants to make a difference by becoming the club’s ambassador and giving them a chance to overcome this obstacle by spreading the news and starting to fundraise, so the Girlz can afford to train and travel to prime them for the possibility of making it to the Women’s Cup.

The Reggae Girlz have attained the regional ranking of number 4, and this is without the support of the Jamaican Football Federation. Imagine what could happen with it. Cedella wants the Reggae Girlz to gain recognition like their male counterparts, the Reggae Boyz. She believes that the Girlz will have a greater opportunity if they can raise the funds to have to access to things like good nutrition, living quarters, and training like other clubs who strive to enter the Cup. Without those things, the Reggae Girlz are at an unfair disadvantage.

Marley has a son whose coach’s daughter is on the team of under seventeen, and the coach sent a flyer over to Marley, reaching out to her with the hope that Cedella could become a help for the team by assisting with fundraising and helping out. Cedella decided to look into the ways that she could help the rising Jamaican Soccer women’s club to achieve their dreams.

For anybody who would like to join in this great cause, there is a campaign called the “GoFundMe” campaign, where those who would like to support the Jamaican women’s team and see them move ahead can donate to their group. Any of the support received through donations to GoFundMe will give the girls the necessary funds to start doing things like playing against other teams for practice. The money will cover the cost of travel, as well as sleeping arrangements on the road at hotels.

By having this kind of access to improved training opportunities, the Reggae Girlz will have a fighting chance to boost their skills and increase their chance of getting into the Women’s World Cup. Most of the funding from the Federation backs the men’s team, so with this kind of funding the women could really rise to the top, judging by how well they’ve done without it.

Voice readers split over Usain Bolt’s football dream

So the fastest man in the world wants to, excuse the pun, bolt from his sport to play in the world's pre-eminent football tournament, the World Cup.

Sounds insane? Don't blink an eye and hold the phone.

Usain Bolt said he wanted to play for Manchester United after taking the podium in 2012 with gold medals dangling around his neck. And now, a Jamaican newspaper reports, Jamaican Football Federation team coach Winfried Schafer is clamoring for Bolt to be part of the Jamaican soccer men's 2018 World Cup team.
The Voice asked its readers if they think the 27-year-old Jamaican should trade his track shoes for football cleats.

Well my motto is "Anything is possible I don't think limits: http://t.co/NUfsqmZIyq
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) March 2, 2014

More than 60 percent of respondents said Bolt should keep working at being faster than the speed of light and stay in track and field. Of those who answered the poll, 41 percent said Bolt should not attempt to switch sports. Another 20 percent were adamant and said Bolt should not play football for Jamaica.
When asked what Bolt should do, 39 percent said the Olympic gold-medal winner should play for the Reggae Boyz.

The 2018 World Cup is far off, and the 2014 World Cup champion still needs to be crowned later this year. What Bolt does is anyone's guess but if a recent picture is any indication, expect to see him racing up the pitch in 2018.
Bolt sent the Jamaican Star a Photoshopped image of himself wearing a Jamaican Football Federation uniform with the caption: "Anything's Possible."
The question that needs to be answered is if the sprinter is actually good enough to compete at the level that World Cup footballers compete at? As an athlete who strives to be the best in his field, and Bolt certainly is that, will he be happy if his football skills are less than his opponents?

Bolt has said that he is an accomplished player and at 6-foot, 5-inches he has the build to be a threat on the pitch. And Schafer cannot wait to get Bolt into training camp.
"We can make him better," Schafer told the Jamaican newspaper, The Gleaner. "When he has good training with our team here in Jamaica, we can make him a very good player. He's very fast, that's clear, but when he learns with the ball then he'll be one of the best players."
But even before thinking about playing with the Jamaican soccer men at the 2018 World Cup, Bolt has the 2016 Olympics to consider.

"Maybe after the Olympics in Brazil (2016), I want to see him in our team," Schafer said. "That is what I want to tell him. I hope he wants to play for his country."

About Jamaican Soccer Men Senior Group

The first match played for the Jamaicans in international play came against Haiti in 1925; they won one to zero, and a national team was born. The Jamaican Federation was officially funded in 1910 and they became FIFA affiliated in 1962, where they were thereafter eligible to compete to play in World Cup matches. Under the hand of the federation, the Jamaican national team has had a rich history, and posses accomplishments that any fan of the team can be proud of. Perhaps the best accomplishment from the Jamaicans came in 1998.

France played host to the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the Jamaicans worked hard to qualify. In successfully doing so, Jamaica became the first native English speaking country of the Caribbean to qualify for the World Cup. It was on June 14, 1998 in Lens when the club took on Croatia; a match that will never be forgotten, despite the losing result for the Jamaican club. The game that day ended in a final score of three to one in the favor of the team from Europe, however, there was reason to be excited for the Jamaicans, as they scored a goal: their first ever in the World Cup tournament.



There wasn't much to celebrate during the next match for the Jamaican Federation, as the national team was defeated by Argentina by a final match score of five to zero. But leading into their final match of the World Cup in France, the boys didn't let the two defeats get them down in the preparation for a meeting against Japan. The two teams met at the Stade Gerland in Lyon on June 26. Theodore Whitmore got the scoring started for Jamaica in the thirty-ninth minute, and again in the fifty-fourth minute. The match was tight, but the team from the small island nation held on to beat Japan 2-1. They became the smallest nation to win a match in the Fifa World Cup.

The tournament was full of records for Jamaica--including being the smallest nation ever to score in a World Cup match, as well as win.
Jamaica has never regained their 1998 breakthrough, but they still compete hard in the CONCACAF region, against teams like the United States and Mexico for one of three automatic bids to the World Cup tournament. The Jamaican Soccer Federation's president, Captain Horace Burrell, hopes the Reggae Boyz can again qualify for the World Cup in 2018.

Jamaican Soccer Women Senior Group

The JFF (Jamaica Football Federation) is an iconic body of officials who govern Jamaica's national soccer teams. Its debut in 1910 fueled gossips nationwide as such a development raised many concerns of the public. Nonetheless, the foundation has guided the teams through countless matches to become one of the islands pride achievements. In 1962, it became a registered affiliate of FIFA, and CONCACAF in 1965. Today, the association presides over three main groups of players. The lineup includes, the women's national team, the men's league and the youth division (girls and boys). Primarily, these leagues classify players depending on their age. This organization also represents the men's and women's teams at national and international competitions.


Members of the senior women's team should represent Jamaica at FIFA 2015, presuming they qualify. Through the years, they have managed to overcome bouts of setbacks to reach this level. Their involvement and performance in upcoming games against other qualifiers have some bearing on the odds of success. Coaches and official sponsors have invested focus on helping them to rebuild their integrity as a team. The advocates of the play-offs put emphasis on empowering players to dismiss recent commentaries about their core competencies. This has stirred up bouts of criticisms in the sports community. In spite of these arguments receiving influence, the JFF and sponsors express a positive attitude towards competitions looming.


Formerly governed by the JWA (Jamaica Women's Association), the women's team faced bouts of disappointments and an unpromising future. Thankfully, the JFF sought opportunities for them. Later, they became the federation's newest addition, following an official change of management. Admittedly, the JFF has worked tremendously hard to cultivate a winning women's club. Today, the "Reggae Girlz" has become a success, receiving honors as a top competitor, especially in the Caribbean. In earlier years, the team managed to earn placement in two Gold Cup tournaments, the first in 2002 and the second in 2006.

As the JFF continues to lead Jamaica's talented women's squad, their mission involves a redress of the island's competition standards. Through this initiative, players should gain enrichment to compete at different stages with extreme competence. The JFF plan to organize a dedicated task-force to oversee this expansion. Eventually, it should become a mandatory measure to instil enthusiasm towards education and training in all players. In addition, it is a forward-thinking approach to strengthen club members and motivate them to win.