Oxford calls for more attention to women’s football development
Published:Monday | August 26, 2024 | 12:07 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
REINAS ACADEMY founder Neo Oxford has called for more effort to be put in place to aid the development of local female footballers.
Oxford, who was speaking after the ISSA Construction Hummel International Reinas Cup, said with the rise in stature of the Reggae Girlz on the international stage, it is important for Jamaica to turn its attention to the next generation of players on the island.
He said while women’s football has entered the public eye, there is much work to be done to maintain the growth Jamaica has seen in the past few years.
“Yes, the sport is being spoken about more, but is it growing?” Oxford asked. “Until we look at keeping these competitions for the right reasons and not just to keep it because we have to, we will forever be in this situation.”
He added: “Why officially are there only two recognised women’s or girls’ tournaments in Jamaica? We only have the Premier League and under-19 schoolgirls football?”
Oxford has called upon the powers that be to ensure programmes and development leagues are put in place to give local players the opportunity to hone their talent from an early age.
He weighed in on recent comments made by Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr, who said local players must get college or professional experience before they can make the transition into the senior team.
Oxford said Busby was correct, bearing in mind it his duty to select the best team possible for Jamaica, and if the local players are not given the platform to compete, they will face an uphill task.
“The senior coach will say that because he is hired to win and get us to World Cups and so on. It is not his job to develop our local talent and allow our local talent the right opportunities to play, to learn and to grow. But do the people who have the job to do so, see its importance?”
Dennis Chung, general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), said plans are being laid to ensure young players are given opportunities to develop their talent at an early age.
Chung said the need for improvement has been noted by the JFF and will be addressed to ensure the growth of the sport in Jamaica.
“The JFF is looking at assisting grassroots leagues that are around the island and it has improved. We can’t deny that there needs to be more improvement but it has improved,” he said.
“I think that is where we need to go. We can’t expect to have success overnight with the programmes but certainly, a lot is being done to get people playing.”