Busby takes charge of U-17 Girlz
Published:Friday | February 21, 2020 | 12:10 AM
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts said national senior women’s team interim head coach Hubert Busby has been appointed head coach of their women’s Under-17 counterparts.
Busby has replaced Xavier Gilbert, who is now the head coach of the women’s Under-20 team, which is taking part in the Concacaf Under-20 World Cup qualifiers in the Dominican Republic.
Ricketts told The Gleaner that Busby is an experienced coach and he is very impressed with the work that he has done with the senior Reggae Girlz over the years.
“I am sure that Busby will do well because he is a good coach and I am convinced about this,” Ricketts said. “I have watched him throughout the Reggae Girlz’s World Cup campaign and he did an excellent job and I am convinced that he will also do a great job with U-17 team.
“These girls have been moving around, not as a group, but Busby would have been looking at them for a while, so we just need to add some intensity to the programme and just hope that it works out for us.”
Ricketts said that plans are in place for the staging of two overseas camps, and one locally as the team prepares for the tournament.
“I am hoping that we will get a good draw because this tournament is in Mexico and that is going to make it a little tough for us, especially with the climactic conditions,” he said.
“We are going to put some more planning into that. The Bob Marley Foundation will again be working very closely with us, so I must express my appreciation for what they have done and what they continue to do. I just hope that everything will work out and things will go our way and we will qualify for this World Cup.”
The U-17 Reggae Girlz are scheduled to compete in the Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship in Mexico from April 18 to May 3. The top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2020 FIFA Women’s World Cup in India later this year.