CONCACAF Office will Boost Football in Jamaica and Wider Region – Grange

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the establishment of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) office in Jamaica will serve to improve the technical capacity of football administrators in the island and the wider region.

Ms. Grange, in a statement read by State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., at the official opening of the office on Thursday (March 15) at the Courtleigh Corporate Centre in New Kingston, said the move should also result in marked improvement in the sport.

“It is my belief that this initiative will further promote, grow and develop the game in our region. Through this new office, I expect increased collaboration, engagement and improvement of the technical capacity of our sport administrators, coaches, agents, managers and players in the Caribbean and across CONCACAF,” she said.

Jamaica was selected to host the Caribbean home office in an effort to promote regional football development and enhance service delivery for member associations.

It is one of three CONCACAF offices serving North and Central America and the Caribbean region, with two other offices located in Miami, Florida; and Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The office is to be headed by Horace Reid, who has been appointed Caribbean Football Director for CONCACAF.

He will be responsible for leading regional efforts to improve the service level to the 31 member associations of the Caribbean region in a wide range of areas, including competitions and development.

Speaking with JIS News, Mr. Reid said by establishing a Caribbean office, CONCACAF is looking to streamline the operations of regional competitions, facilitate engagement with key stakeholders and provide technical assistance to elevate service levels with a focus on development.

“We want to be able to start zeroing in on capacity-building programmes… (particularly) with our grassroots programmes. We are going to be focusing on administration and how we are going to get our members to adhere to good corporate governance structures. It is an important endeavour in reaching out to our members and providing them with service that can improve their performance on the pitch,” he noted.

Until recently, Mr. Reid served as Director for Competitions at CONCACAF for four years.

He is one of the chief architects in Jamaica’s successful qualification for the World Cup in France in 1998. He also administered Jamaica’s qualification to the U-17 Men’s World Cup in 1999 and 2011 as well as the U-20 Men’s World Cup in 2001.

CONCACAF has 41 member associations, 31 of which are Caribbean members.

Among the primary functions of CONCACAF is the organisation of competitions for national teams and clubs as well as conducting Men’s World Cup and Women’s World Cup qualifying tournaments.

Nearly 80 per cent of the ONE CONCACAF financial assistance programme is allocated to member associations from the Caribbean.