‘I must earn their respect’
Blaine wants to build trust, improved communication with Reggae Girlz
Published:Wednesday | December 15, 2021 | 12:08 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
HAVING RETURNED to the national senior women fold, interim head coach, Vin Blaine, says that he hopes to foster a culture of respect and improved communication with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to meet their 2023 World Cup target.
Blaine was introduced yesterday as the Reggae Girlz interim senior head coach, replacing Hubert Busby Jr who is currently suspended because of sexual misconduct allegations which surfaced in October. The allegations were related to his professional club stint overseas nearly 10 years ago.
Blaine will take charge of the World Cup qualifiers which start next February.
In his first press conference, Blaine said that he hopes to continue the work that he has done in previous years with the Reggae Girlz, while also looking to galvanise the team in light of the recent developments surrounding Busby Jr and his suspension, as they investigate the matter.
“I’m not here to say what Busby did was wrong or right. It is a continuation for me. And it is the same way I’m going to approach it when I speak to the girls. It’s about how can we move forward in unity and get to the World Cup, which I know much certain they can do,” Blaine said.
Blaine has been responsible for recruiting a majority of the core players that helped Jamaica qualify for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, such as Khadija Shaw, Marlo Sweatman and Chinyelu Asher. Nevertheless, he says that it is up to him to earn the trust of the current group of players when he meets with the players before the Christmas break, with the expectations now elevated given the number of professional players in the group.
“To me, as far as my preparation goes towards the team it is the same. I have to earn their respect, not have them respect me. I have to earn their respect, that I am capable of taking them to the World Cup. I have no problem with that. It’s a journey that I am looking forward to,” Blaine said.
“The players that I have seen that have been recruited are professional players so the expectation level is a little higher. How we handle that will definitely make the difference. My coaching approach will ensure that they are coming back to a level that they are used to. I have to earn their respect as far as that is concerned, but I have no doubt that I will earn their respect.”
In that vein, Blaine says that he hopes to improve the communication lines between the team and the federation in discussing various issues, with a more collective mindset. The Reggae Girlz and the JFF have been at odds in the past, regarding compensation.
“The communication lines must be through me and not from a player to media. We can’t go to the players negatively about the association. It must come in a meeting from us,” said Blaine.
“We know the concerns already. And then we go to the federation with one voice. We want the girls to concentrate on the game,” Blaine said. “If they have issues with the JFF it is for me to air them to the JFF to represent them. The only way we can handle it is to do it in a way without alienating anyone.”