Despite a low spectator turnout at the second edition of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President’s Veterans’ Welfare Football Fund-raiser, Michael Ricketts says his administration is determined to assist former national players and as such will ramp up efforts to see to the welfare programme’s success.

In pointing to their unwavering commitment to generate funds for the programme, which will aid past national players and other football stalwarts who have fallen on hard times, Ricketts revealed that his team is already plotting the way forward to make up for the poor showing at the New Year’s Day event at York Oval in St Thomas.

“We were a little bit disappointed with the turnout; I don’t know if this day really was the right day. In fact, we had set aside the last Sunday in each year, but we just thought to try (New Year’s Day) first which obviously might not be the best day based on what happened here today.

“We probably need to go back and discuss that with the PLCA (Premier League Clubs Association) and go back to the last Sunday. But between now and then we will be doing other things to ensure that we raise some funds,” Ricketts told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

“So this certainly won’t deter us. We just want to ensure that we continue and we want to ensure that the end result is that we are in a position to assist some of our fallen former national players,” he added.

During the reassessing process to generate more funds, Ricketts noted that there will also be discussions about forming a national players committee to work closely with the JFF in planning other events.

“We certainly will be looking down the road at events that can generate some income. We probably might not be able to make millions, but like the saying goes ‘one, one coco fill basket’ and of course we are intent on reaching out to our former national players.

“So we definitely will be looking at planning other events to ensure that we have something to assist former players. In fact we have started the process of having a raffle to suffice,” he shared.

The president previously announced a structural committee, which is an independent body that will take on the responsibility of ensuring that the country’s governing body of football reaches out to assist those in need.

That committee is led by former Netball Jamaica boss Marva Bernard, as well as Denzil Wilks, general manager of Sports Development Foundation; banker Peter Moses; JFF’s Vice-President Raymond Anderson; former national player Neville Oxford; and current Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Amal Knight.

However, according to Ricketts, to further sustain the welfare programme and by extension ensure that it achieves its objectives, a fund-raising committee will be put in place.

“We certainly will be setting up our fund-raising committee within the welfare committee. That fund-raising committee will assist us to organise events that could raise funds for players,” he noted.

—Sherdon Cowan