The Importance of Developing the Jamaican Trademark

[Karl]

The Importance of Developing the Jamaican Trademark
November 2, 2013
News Posted by JFF

Dear Jamaicans,

In a globalized football world, with more than 40,000,000 players in more than 330,000 clubs all over the world, it is a major challenge to make a name for oneself, especially when one wants to become an outstanding part of this great sport family. This applies to individual players, clubs, as well as nations.

However, numbers do not matter because the heart of the game we love so much is the hunger for victory. Political correctness, friendship and fair play aside, if you want to be successful in football, whether it be long-term or in the magical 90 minutes, you need an I-want-it-all attitude.
But before that, you have to build the foundation to success. And now we have the opportunity to do exactly that.

Coach Schafer Appeal

Jamaica is a small country. We will never have a player pool as large as Brazil or the USA, but that will not pose as a challenge if we focus on a highly diversified and intelligent development for youth work and professional club structure. If we support our talents in a modern, professional way, if we build up on a base of expertise and long-term planning, we will be able to establish an impressive trademark in global football.

Trademark may sound too commercial and not particularly sporty, but today, it’s incredibly important to establish yourself as a trademark. There is a reason why even an average Brazilian football player can find a lucrative contract all over the world if his agent brags about his “impressive technical play”, simply because that is what football officials around the world expect from a Brazilian player. Stereotypes are weighty. That is not always fair, but it is the reality.

In the next years, we have to bring together the Jamaican football clubs of all divisions, the officials of the national team and the media to establish a positive trademark: Jamaica as an example of outstanding youth work, training, teaching and supporting of the future in Jamaican football.
The stronger this trademark becomes, the better the economic chances for every single player, the clubs and the national team, and the greater our chance of success. In addition to that, we will increase our chance to become part of FIFA’s diverse supporting programs.

We look forward to organizing a meeting between the Jamaican football authorities and the media to discuss the future of Jamaican football. Let’s take this opportunity to shape the future together.



Winfried Schafer

http://www.jamaicafootballfederation...can-trademark/

[Karl]

Observer EDITORIAL: Sport much more than image booster

EDITORIAL

Sport much more than image booster
Monday, November 04, 2013


THIS newspaper has consistently advocated the value of sport not just as recreation or as a means of boosting our nation's image, but for its potential to assist the drive for economic growth and buoyancy.

For that reason we have consistently advocated the development of an integrated sports policy with full-fledged public/private partnership aimed at the development and maximising of young talent.



(From left) Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries; SDF Chairman Dr Warren Blake; Minister of Local Government Noel Arscott, minister with responsibility for Sports Natalie Neita-Headley; ISSA President Dr Walton Small; Lester Beale, project technical specialist at the Sugar Transformation Unit; and SDC Clarendon Parish Manager Baldvin McKenzie take part in the signing of the MOU of the High School Sport Infrastructure Improvement Project at Vere Technical on Friday. (PHOTO: SANJAY MYERS)

For that reason, too, we applaud the $250-million High School Sport Infrastructure Improvement Project highlighted in yesterday's Sunday Observer.

We are told that 23 schools are to benefit from the initial phase of the project which, according to the Sunday Observer, is "aimed at upgrading the sport facilities in high schools and by extension improving players' abilities in various sporting disciplines".

Minister with responsibility for sport, Ms Natalie Neita-Headley, makes the obvious yet critical point that "our school system bears the brunt of our national sport programmes. As such we must fortify the base by improving the facilities that mould our children..."

In developed football-playing countries, for example, it's the clubs — operating as professional/business outfits — which largely take responsibility for the development of talent.

In Jamaican sport the day may come when clubs are at such a high professional and resource level that they can mould the bulk of our young talent in the major sports.

That day remains a distant dream. In the meantime — as they have always done — our schools must be the nurseries for our talented young men and women in a range of sporting disciplines.

The big names such as Messrs Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Chris Gayle, Rudolph Austin, Mrs Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, et al, are among the scores of our professional sportsmen and women who operate on the international circuit bringing millions of US dollars to our struggling economy annually.

All were nurtured and developed in Jamaica's schools' sports programmes.
The current earnings constitute a drop in the bucket compared to what is possible with a comprehensively developed and forward-thinking drive towards sports development in schools and communities.

We contend that, in schools, sport shouldn't be seen merely as physical education and recreation, but as a skill set of real economic value worthy of being taught and tailored to meet the demands of our world.

The aim should be to develop that "trademark" spoken about by Jamaica's football national head coach Mr Winfried Schafer in his 'must read' letter to the editor published in yesterday's sport pages.

We think it appropriate to thank all those involved in the funding and implementation of the High School Sport Infrastructure Improvement Project for their foresight and will — even in these economically hard and restrictive times.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...#ixzz2jgzCWEhV

[Karl]

Request! - Please think on even one area where the aims of

schools become inseparable with that of developing our young to fullest potential?

Thank you.

The peculiar circumstance of our Jamaica and the invaluable contributions by our schools to "development" and the "potential" for even greater contribution demand that schools play integral part in development of our talented as footballers. TALENT ABOUNDS! ...but without proper development it remains hidden adding nothing to the lives of the talented, - (in this special case of our footballers - never sees the light of day) - our fledging football industry and our country.

Schools are not places for development (of footballers)? (wry suhmile! & )
Indeed!


FORWARD!

[Gamma]

let us say we set up an academy, we can then be in a position to empirically analyse the products ..... after which the answer will have to be what it is ...

i can say this without fear of successful contradiction. i am yet to see a 15 y.o. in JA who possesses the technical proficiency of leon bailey. if anyone in jamaica knows of such a player, i would be very happy to retract my statement.

[Assasin]

You nuh watch enough local ball????

Only thing I can say is we have natural ability because the awareness and understanding of the game I see some u8 and U9 displaying in GA, mi never have that until I was about 14 years old. Watching EPL and La Liga and "play ball" not going to give that to you.

[Mosiah]

Trademark may sound too commercial and not particularly sporty, but today, it’s incredibly important to establish yourself as a trademark. There is a reason why even an average Brazilian football player can find a lucrative contract all over the world if his agent brags about his “impressive technical play”, simply because that is what football officials around the world expect from a Brazilian player. Stereotypes are weighty. That is not always fair, but it is the reality.

That's so true! Invariably, whenever I get an email from a Brazilian player or coach, the very first thing he says, even before giving his name sometimes, is, I am Brazilian.

Clearly, we are on our way to do the same, because the world associates us with speed. What we must do, however, is to maximize our speed in its various forms, not just "over ground" (puke ).

Btw, are the editors of both major newspapers and Karl the only people in the world who still use the word "Messrs"?

[Mosiah]

You nuh watch enough local ball????

Only thing I can say is we have natural ability because the awareness and understanding of the game I see some u8 and U9 displaying in GA, mi never have that until I was about 14 years old. Watching EPL and La Liga and "play ball" not going to give that to you.

But Sass, can they pick a salad at 8 years old?

Aha! Seeitdeh!

[Jangle]

In your learned opinion, should this "Academy" be a physical structure?

[Gamma]

it should have at least PROPER fields.

roy said his payers would struggle to play on the NWC field, it was so bad. him seh kudo's to the playes for being able to execute as they did.

[Gamma]

no ... lawyers still do. when you are addressing a letter to more than one person and they are all male, what do you do?

[Jangle]

it should have at least PROPER fields.

So what is the secret behind so many of the African countries which are churning out internationally competent footballer who play on dust bowls? In addition, don't many of these schools already have the basic football fields to host football courses on?

[Gamma]

the trick is to get to europe at an early age ... like kanu or okocha ...

most of the former french colonies allow easy access to the ballers to places like belgium which have more flexible residency laws .... and thereafter can move easily through europe.

regarding the fields, let me not answer that and ask you, not only to take a look at it but to go on it. the best of fields out here is not as good as some of the bad fields at municipal parks stateside

[Jangle]

the trick is to get to europe at an early age ... like kanu or okocha ...

most of the former french colonies allow easy access to the ballers to places like belgium which have more flexible residency laws .... and thereafter can move easily through europe.

regarding the fields, let me not answer that and ask you, not only to take a look at it but to go on it. the best of fields out here is not as good as some of the bad fields at municipal parks stateside

I know that most fields in Jamaica are substandard, however, my point is we use this as an excuse why our football program is not moving forward. We don't NEED good fields to put programs in place that will teach our kids the fundamentals of good football. The Africans are making do and succeeding with their dust bowls. Why can't we?

[Assasin]

The thing is most of those field can be used for recreation but you need to get get your "elite" groups on the best field with the best training in a pretty structured way.

while we don't have a lot of great field but we can turn out better quality if we do the simple things and measure performance and tatics.

[Gamma]

mainly because of the difficulty we have in getting our young players to europe.

i don't know much about the fields at the top clubs in most countries in africa, but i suspect that it is better than ours, certainly for the main ones. (nigeria, south africa, cameroon etc). they may struggle a bit more in say ethiopia ...