Transparency please! - Former Reggae Girl says the JFF has work to do to regain stakeholders’ trust
Published:Friday | September 11, 2020 | 12:15 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Former national women’s football team assistant manager, Sherona Forrester, says that for the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to generate more sponsorships and support for the national women’s programme, there needs to be a greater level of transparency in the organisation and trust among stakeholders.
Forrester, also a former national player, said that although there are many supporters of the team who want to contribute to the programme in a tangible way, some choose not to do so directly because of administrative mishandlings that have affected the JFF in recent years.
However, she said that if the JFF were to gain the confidence of all stakeholders, this would result in a greater level of support for the women’s programme.
“It has always been challenging to get proper sponsorship for the female arm of the game in Jamaica,” Forrester said.
“I think the ‘mediarising’ of all the mishandlings sometimes blows things out of context. But I believe the company must find a way to be more transparent and organise how they send messages out, not just to cover themselves but to show they are a reputable company, so others can come on board to assist us.
“Things must improve administratively because the players need to trust the federation. The investors also need to trust the federation so they are able and willing to give to the organisation. But the main thing to work on is the trust, and that starts with being transparent,” she said.
BETTER OPTION
Forrester said that many supporters contribute directly to the Reggae Girlz instead of through the JFF. However, she believes that going through the mother organisation would better serve the team’s purpose.
“They want to give it to the manager or a coach, but they have to bridge that because JFF is the parent body, and it needs to come through them because sometimes what JFF does is filter it through,” she said.
“Sometimes it is not just the senior teams that get it; it also goes down to the grass roots. So it is not that it is not there, but it is how they filter it because they are a company, and they have many arms.”
Forrester said that although she believes that she will have a role to play in the administration of the women’s game some time in the future, there are personal objectives she must first settle before taking on such responsibilities.
“I do want to give back in this way as once a Reggae Girl, you are always a Reggae Girl.
“But based on where my life is going now, I will have to take that up later on because I have to settle some personal stuff, especially family-wise, before I am able to because this takes a lot of time.
“So I will have to get a few things on track before I can get back into that sphere.”