Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Members of Jamaica's football squad to Brazil at Norman Manley International Airport yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

THE JAMAICA Football Federation's (JFF) head of delegation to Brazil, Michael Ricketts, hopes the organisation will be able to put on similar excursions in the future as he believes that will go a long way to improving the local talent base.

"It was a successful trip and you could see that the team continued to get better the longer we stayed and they were really strong towards the end," Ricketts said following the return of the local-based men's squad at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.

"I think more camps of that nature would be beneficial. It does not have to be that far away, but it would really help the players to develop," he said.

A 42-person contingent, 17 male players and 25 female players, left the island a little over two weeks ago to take part in a camp organised by national technical director, Rene Simoes.

During the tour the women, who returned to the island last week, won two games and lost two while the local men's squad had an even more impressive showing, winning three games, drawing three and losing one.

Some of those results came against highly ranked Brazilian opponents which included Coribita, the club promoted to the Brazilian top flight under Simoes last season, Parana Clube and Atletico Paranaense.

Impact

In fact, the local-based Boyz are said to have made such an impact that some members of the squad including captain Rudolph Austin, Ricardo Cousins, Adrian Reid and James Thomas, all of Portmore United, are being sought by Brazilian outfits.

The team, which is expected to be joined by an overseas-based contingent this Sunday, will begin its preparations to take on Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors at the National Stadium next Wednesday.

Technical director Simoes did not arrive with the team yesterday.