‘Malmo Trophy Invitational perfect stage for development of young players’

Following the under-15 Reggae Boyz appearance at the 2024 Malmo Trophy Invitational, Kingston Football Academy (KFA) director and coach Eric Rademakers said the competition was the perfect stage for development for Jamaica's youth players.

Drawn in Group B alongside AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, IF Brommpojkarna and B93, the young Boyz finished at the foot of the table without a win.

With three of his players from the KFA making the trip to Sweden, Rademakers said the opportunity to play against international competition at this age is a major step for youth development.

"I think it was a very good experience to get more and more of those guys playing at that level," he said. "It's good for them to get to see what the serious level looks like. It's a good motivation for them. There were a lot of things that could have gone better but I'm happy for the initiative from the JFF."

He also said it was significant for the team to be able to compete this year, having missed out on last year's invitation due to ill-timed preparations.

Jamaica lost all four matches of the group stage, with their biggest defeat coming in 4-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their final fixture.

Rademakers said despite the poor record, the level of play between Jamaica and the European outfits was close with the main difference being the level of preparation ahead of the tournament.

"Last year they were supposed to go but it wasn't arranged in time but this year they actually went. That is good stuff to see and the difference in level I don't think it is that much. I think the biggest difference that I see is that we weren't prepared," he explained.

"Those teams don't just prepare for this tournament, but they prepare for the entire year and the entire youth development plan up until 18."

Preparation is key

According to Rademakers, the difference in preparation has been the major factor in the progress of development for youth players.

Outside of schoolboy and club competitions, Jamaican athletes are often left without structured training while their European counterparts are in constant training courses all year round.

This, he said, makes it harder for Jamaica to compete on level footing against international competition.

"They have a plan that they work towards and are continuously developing while we are still on the pace that we do it in moments. That's not how youth football goes," he said. "All of these clubs, they play continuously every year, a full season, 10 months of football. So you see these teams, they have been with each other for last nine or ten months and they work on everything."