Those fortunate enough to watch the Copa America Centenario and the Euro 2016 tournament have had a wonderful time in recent weeks.

First, there was the Copa which, while it had its disappointments since the Reggae Boyz performed poorly, provided rich entertainment ending with highly talented Chile conquering Mr Lionel Messi’s vaunted Argentina.

Then there is the 2016 European Championship which will be decided tomorrow when hosts France meet Mr Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the final.

The high technical and tactical standards in some games of the Euros – not least the semi-final between France and Germany – have captivated football purists.

However, among the biggest stories has been the performance of unheralded Iceland and Wales. The latter – traditionally the least successful of British teams which compete on the international stage, ie England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – reached the semi-final of the Euro 2016. Their previous appearance at a major tournament was at the World Cup of 1958.

But it was Iceland, more than any other, which captured the world’s imagination. A nation of fewer than 330,000 people, located on a frigid volcanic island off the coast of northern Europe, Iceland, until a few years ago, had no football tradition worth mentioning.

Utilising careful planning, organisation and considerable resources, the Icelandic authorities set about change with spectacular success.

So it is that while England were in utter shock when they were “humiliated” 2-1 by Iceland in the Euro’s Round of 16, recent results suggest the defeat shouldn’t have been unexpected.

In fact, Iceland qualified for the Euros from a group which included powerhouse and three-time World Cup finalists The Netherlands, whom they beat twice, home and away.

Then, in the first round of the Euros, Iceland drew 1-1 with Portugal and Hungary before beating Austria 2-1 to advance to the Round of 16. There they conquered England before falling 2-5 to France in the quarter-finals.

So what did Iceland do to reach such heights? Relatively wealthy, with a per capita income of just over US$46,000 (measured using purchasing power parity) compared to Jamaica’s approximate US$9,000, Iceland, determined to make headway in football, obviously spent considerable sums. The effort was helped by generous developmental support from the cash-rich European Football Association (UEFA).

Research shows that at the turn of the century and in the years since then, the Icelandic Government, local authorities and clubs dealt with the country’s harsh climate which limits outdoor sporting activity by building many geo-thermally heated indoor stadiums which facilitate all-year training. Iceland, it must be said, is rich in geothermal energy.

Outdoor facilities have also been considerably expanded.

Perhaps most crucial of all, Iceland has set about building expertise by training football coaches. There are now said to be 600 qualified football coaches in Iceland which, as we have said, is a nation of less than 330,000 people.

All this development has led to a surge in the standard of domestic football in Iceland and the export of scores of young professional footballers to European professional leagues.

Even allowing for scarcity of money here, there is a lot Jamaica’s football authorities can learn from the Icelandic example.