Jamaica will tackle Brown's charges today at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex at 7 p.m. and part of the job in raising the awareness, he believes, rests with those involved in the game.

GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman:

TECHNICAL director of the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA), Carl Brown, admits being encouraged by the advancement of the sport here, but believes a combined effort is needed to raise its profile.

"I've been encouraged by what I've seen in the last two years that I've been here," said Brown. "The league was just completed and the enthusiasm and support shown by the spectators was so different from the first year when I came."

Brown is a former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) technical director, head coach and captain.

He was a member of René Simoes' coaching staff when Jamaica qualified for the World Cup finals in France, 1998. He also led Jamaica to Caribbean title successes in 1991 and 1998. Brown also led Jamaica to a third-place Gold Cup finish in 1993, the nation's best-ever placing.

tackling Brown's charges

Jamaica will tackle Brown's charges today at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex at 7 p.m. and part of the job in raising the awareness, he believes, rests with those involved in the game.

"You need the coaches and players to take someone out to watch the game. They have a serious responsibility to attract people, bring out sponsors and spectators," he challenged.

"We've to continue to work in getting the quality of the game up, the attraction. It's like going to the movies. People look for the star who they feel will entertain them the most. The players have to be the entertainers ... . You don't want to get to the park and people wish the game was over as soon as they come. When it's finished, they should want to see some more," Brown noted.

a coach's dream

Referring to the gargantuan task his 164th-ranked team faces against Jamaica, who are rated 88 places higher, he said: "This is a coach's dream. Once you start your preparation, that (winning) is the ultimate goal, regardless of who we're playing. People ask what type of success we're expecting. People need to remember that we participated in this game on Sunday.

"I really don't want to put the players under pressure that it's a must-win situation and the only way we'll judge them, mark them if they're good or bad, is if they lose. Our goal is to get out there and play," Brown pointed out.

good opportunity

He added: "I don't know if you've been following the Confederations Cup and what Spain has been doing. The fact that they've been able to put together over 700 passes in each game, this is something that I'm hoping the Cayman Islands team will aim at. We want to get out there and participate, we want to now get a feel about what the game is all about and this Jamaica team is a very strong team. This is a good opportunity to develop our confidence and if we can get out there and play well against Jamaica, it will augur well for us.

"In 1991, we (Jamaica) won the Shell Cup, left Jamaica as Caribbean champions and went to Honduras and played two games in Honduras. We got 5-0 and 7-0 but, you know, two years later we beat that same Honduras team 3-1 in the Gold Cup," Brown observed.

"Some people learn to swim by being thrown out in the deep end and it works well for a lot of people. This is one of the ways out ... . There's no losing for the Cayman Islands in participating in a game like this."

- Audley Boyd