Don’t give away home advantage – Hallgrimsson
Reggae Boyz coach wants improvement in playing surface, facilities for Reggae Boyz
Published:Tuesday | June 4, 2024 | 12:07 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
REGGAE BOYZ coach Heimir Hallgrimsson continues to bat for better fields and facilities for his charges, especially given the number of overseas-based players in the squad.
According to Hallgrimsson, lower quality of playing surfaces and facilities could put the team at a disadvantage during the upcoming Concacaf World Cup qualifiers.
The Reggae Boyz open their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in Group E of the second round against the Dominican Republic at the National Stadium on Thursday and Hallgrimsson noted that the difference between the players’ club environments and what they experience while on national duties are night and day and believes more must be done to get things up to the standards those players are accustomed to.
“The contrast between the day-in, day-out environment that the players we are selecting are in, compared to our possibilities here in Jamaica in regards to training pitches, the National Stadium, dressing rooms and in terms of what the JFF [Jamaica Football Federation] can do in regards to flights and accommodation and such is huge. So we need to do the best we can.
“But it is a contrast that we need to understand here that these players come from different environments and they are used to other kinds of facilities and pitches and coming and playing for Jamaica can never be demotivating.
“But we need to improve that and realise that we are selecting players from the highest level of football,” he said.
Hallgrimsson said the players have shown great respect to what the federation can provide and that they are highly motivated to play for the country.
However, he thinks that unless the factors mentioned are addressed, the team will be at a disadvantage when they play at home.
“They want to come and represent Jamaica, so it must be a motivating factor.
“These players have shown great respect to what we can offer them, and I am really pleased with the attitude of the players.
“But we all know that there are a lot of things to improve and the quicker we do that, is the better for Jamaica and the possibilities of qualifying will be better.
“Because just a little thing like the stadium, which is at the level where no one from the English Premier League has ever stepped on a bad pitch like our pitch.
“So we are playing the advantage to the opponent and we must be careful not to play an advantage to the opponent when they get here. We must realise what kind of players we have and we have to set up in accordance with that.”