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As the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) turns its attention to upcoming assignments next year, President Michael Ricketts has hailed the 2024 calendar year as a major success for local football’s governing body.
Speaking in a press conference yesterday, Ricketts stated the federation has overseen several major achievements both on and off the field of play.
He highlighted the success that the JFF has seen with its various national teams throughout the year.
The Reggae Boyz won their first international medal since 2017 when they took home a historic bronze medal in the Concacaf Nations League while the Girlz won their first home game since 2022 when they defeated South Africa twice in a pair of friendlies at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.
The under-14 Boyz also achieved a major milestone, winning gold in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) U14 Boys Challenge Series.
“I just want to briefly look at some our achievements,” Ricketts said. “Our senior men’s team would have earned their first medal of the Nations League since 2017. Of course, we were third and no secret that we were the first Caribbean team to achieve such a feat.
“Of course, we just concluded, our Girlz that is, just concluded their series against South Africa with two games in Montego Bay. We won the first game, the most impressive one, 3-0, and the second game 3-2. So the overall score for the series was 6-2,” he continued.
Ricketts also praised the achievements of Reggae Girlz captain and the country’s all-time leading goalscorer, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, who had placed 15th in France Football Ballon d’Or rankings.
“We must recognise the achievement of Khadija Shaw who was 15th in the women’s Ballon d’Or. This speaks volumes for a home-grown talent,” he remarked.
Jamaica’s footballing successes were not just limited to the national teams, however, as Ricketts acknowledged Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clubs Cavalier FC and Arnett Gardens FC who had won the Concacaf Caribbean Cup and the CFU Caribbean Club Shield respectively.
“I have to make special mention of two of our local clubs, Cavalier and Arnett Gardens. They would have certainly become household names across the Caribbean. Arnett won the Club Shield and Cavalier, the Concacaf Caribbean Cup,” Ricketts said as he praised the two clubs.
“This is no ordinary achievement and we must say huge congratulations to Arnett Gardens and, of course, to Cavalier.”
JFF General Secretary, Dennis Chung, also stated the JFF had overseen a positive financial year as they look to strengthen their reputation in the public’s eye.
“The JFF continues to maintain a relevant and up-to-date tax compliance certificate and this is not something that many companies can say they have,” Chung stated.
“On the financial side, the JFF reported a surplus of $105.3 million. This is compared to a deficit of $11.4 million the same time last year. What it means for us is that we are working on reducing our negative equity position which is very important for us.”
He added, “I think that as we change the image more positively of the JFF, when people don’t see you owing money all over the place, then more people will come on board.”
The JFF leaders said they are looking towards maintaining the upward trend in 2025 which will bring more opportunities for Jamaica’s football community.
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