JFF Appoint Wendell Downswell to run U-17 Again this trip

What you think?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Downswell


The Jamaica U-17 men's national soccer team is the national under-17 association football team of the Jamaica and is controlled by the Jamaica Football Federation. The highest level of competition in which the team may compete is in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every two years.

Wendell Downswell (born February 5, 1958 in Jamaica) the current Jamaica youth national team technical director as well as the technical director of Reno F.C.

Downswell played for and attended St. Elizabeth Technical High School in Jamaica. He then completed his degree in Physical Education at G.C. Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica. He also pursuing a Master's Degree at the UWI, Mona.

Downswell played for Reno F.C. in the Jamaica National Premiere League as a winger.

From 1976, Downswell made several appearance for the Jamaica national football team.

Downswell has traveled extensively to the United States, Germany, Paraguay, Brazil and other countries to participated in numerous coaching certifications courses and programs. He is also currently the lead instructor for the JFF Coaching Program.

In 2007, He also joined the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) football coach staff as technical director.

Downswell had been involved in the coaching department of Reno F.C. since 1985.

Under the guidance and recommendation of Rene Simoes, Downswell was selected to coach the u20 national team in 2000 and held that position until 2005. In 2001, he coached Jamaica U20 national team at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He rejoined the youth national team staff from 2007–2008 and again in 2010. During the 2007 Pan Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he led his squad to team to a silver medal. In 2010, He led the Jamaica u17 national team tour in São Paulo, Brazil ahead of the 2011 CONCACAF U17 finals.[1] In February 2011, Downswell led Jamaica u17 to a fourth place finish in the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship Finals and qualification to the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, scheduled in June 2011.

During his time as national team head coach, he won the 2005 Caribbean Cup title and made the quarterfinals of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Downswell also served as an assistant coach in 2007.

You can follow the competition at http://www.concacaf.com/category/under-17s-men 

I personally think it's a good appointment because they did well with him in the past, and he's got the caliber and quality to produce at that level, I just hope the u-17 boys can get pushed further into the limelight and people start paying attention to them at an early age, and not just when them get a big name.

I say good luck to anyone coaching kids anywhere under 19 because it's always going to be difficult!

I'd be curious to know how many people were considered for the job before it was eventually given to him.

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Following a Jamaica Observer story yesterday that Omar Edwards could be on his way out as assistant National Men’s Under-17 coach, the governing Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has announced the appointment of veteran tactician, Wendell Downswell as technical advisor.

In a press release yesterday, the JFF stated that Downswell, who was head coach when Jamaica qualified for the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in that year, will join the technical staff as they prepare for participation in the CONCACAF Men’s Under 17 Qualifying Tournament in April.

“Coach Downswell has a long and outstanding career in coaching at the youth level, including qualifying an under-17 team to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2011,” the statement read.

“The technical staff will immediately begin preparation with a training camp set to begin January 3,” it continued.

Edwards, 32, who has been apart of the National Under-17 team as assistant head coach — firstly to Downswell then Andrew Edwards — is said to have a strained relationship with Andrew Edwards, with both not always seeing eye to eye on team selection, strategy and tactics, it has been said.

With that in mind, well-placed sources claimed that while Omar Edwards has not received a formal letter of dismissal, it is said he was contacted by telephone on December 21 by “a high-ranking Jamaica Football Federation official” who indicated, in effect, that his days as a national coach are numbered.

Omar Edwards, who is widely considered one of the island’s most promising young coaches, when contacted recently, refused to comment on the matter.

However, JFF General Secretary Raymond Grant did say there were discussions underway to determine the technical team members for the programme going forward, but denied there were dismissals at this time.

“What I can say is that we are discussing the final make-up of the technical staff for the Under-17 men’s team going forward, so at this point it would be premature to comment on the final make-up,” he said.

Grant said by the end of the week the discussions and review would have been completed.