Outgoing general secretary Horace Reid urged staff of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to maintain a resolute focus on the nation’s mission to qualify for the FIFA 2014 to be staged in Brazil.

The veteran administrator, who has ended a 16-year association with the Federation and who took up a new job as CONCACAF’s competitions director, insisted that the technical and administrative teams should “keep their eyes on the prize and not be distracted by external forces”.

Reid, quoted in a JFF release, spoke with an air of certainty that Jamaica will qualify for Brazil, and noted that achievement “will lead to a significant shift in the paradigm of football”.

He noted that expectations of Jamaicans of football success was high and it was many times forgotten that Jamaica is vying for one spot of three out of a total of 40 countries (in CONCACAF). He further noted that this is with far less resources to prosecute the country’s World Cup Qualifying campaign and its football programme overall, compared to some of the more resourceful nations of the conmfederation.

In fact, of the six nations remaining in the CONCACAF finals — others being Mexico, USA, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama — Jamaica is the poorest and has the weakest overall football infrastructure.

Reid, in his official farewell to JFF staff at the Federation offices on Tuesday, also reflected on the strides the nation’s football was able to make with limited financial resouces, which speaks to the innovative spirit and will of the staff across all ranks to achieve.

In one sign of progress, he made made referrence to improvement in infrastructure and the high numbers of players plying their trade in lucrative markets overseas. He took staff on a journey back in time to the days when spectators would be separated from the football field by a mere rope and when the secretariat of the Federation operated from a one-room office with five members of staff.

Reid also pleaded with staff to keep the organisation “non-political in addition to being fully professional and committed” as they have been during his tenure.

While the successes have been far-reaching and varied, as a parting shot Reid underlined the fact Jamaica is one of few countries in the 40-member CONCACAF that can boast of having teams advancing to “the final round of all age group tournaments of both gender over the past five years”, and he noted that Jamaica is “highly respected at the international level for the quality of its administration”.

Reid then officially handed over the baton of the post of general secretary to Raymond Grant, president of the Portland FA and a longstanding member of the JFF Board of Directors.