ROSE HALL, St James — Jamaica is set to benefit from an initiative, the Jamaica Youth Football Festival, that is set to be held next summer with over 40 American institutions expected to take part in the event.

While not going into too much details, Jamaica Football Federation’s (JFF) general secretary Horace Reid told Sunday’s Voting Congress at the IberoStar Resort in Rose Hall that the event, that has been in the planning since 2008, could see serious economical benefits to the island, as over 1,500 hotel rooms would be needed to accommodate those who were coming.

Reid, who was speaking during his general secretary’s report, made a call for government to get involved with Jamaica’s football programme before the start of the World Cup campaign.

“It is easy to support when things are going well. That is not when the support is needed, we need the support during ‘tamarind season’ when the JFF needs the most help,” Reid said using the colloquial term for lean times.

It was pointed out that the JFF, which is facing serious financial constraints, had been forced to lay off the majority of its staff and those who had been kept on were forced to go months without being paid, the Voting Congress was also told.

The Jamaica Youth Football Festival, he said, would attract thousands, including the teams, their support systems, family and friends and this was a serious financial boost to the island’s economy.