KINGSTON, Jamaica — Sports Minister Olivia Grange and Under-17 Head Coach Wendell Downswell have praised the young Reggae Boyz following their qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Wednesday.

The Boyz booked their place at the global showpiece with a commanding 3-1 victory over 10-man Canada in their decisive Concacaf Group G encounter in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Jamaica completed the group stage with a maximum nine points from three matches, having earlier defeated Aruba and the Cayman Islands to secure their ticket to Qatar in November.

READ: Jamaica 3 – 1 Canada: Young Reggae Boyz book ticket to U17 World Cup

Speaking in the aftermath of the victory, Grange expressed immense pride in the team’s achievement.

“When the athletes or the footballers excel, we feel that it’s worth the investment. And so tonight I’m a very proud minister and a proud Jamaican, because when I look at these youngsters achieving qualifications for the World Cup at their age, it means something to them, it motivates them and it also means that we have a good nursery. That we know that the future looks good,” Grange told Observer Online.

The minister pointed to the wider national impact of the team’s success.

“Sports is a great social intervention tool. And in every community, football reigns…When I look at all these youngsters, I know that they are appreciated in their communities, they are seen as role models and that their achievements will help in a lot of ways to motivate their communities and to make other youngsters in their community want to achieve in sports,” she explained.

Grange also reaffirmed the Government’s continued backing of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

“The JFF always gets extra support from us for their teams that qualify and their teams that are preparing for qualification and their teams that have done well and that are going on to international participation. We always give them support and a lot of support,” she said.

Meanwhile, Downswell described the qualification as historic.

“I am very ecstatic and elated about it, of this historical peak by virtue of qualifying for another Under-17 World Cup,” he said.

The coach credited careful planning and mentorship for the team’s success.

“When we went in, we ranked 13 from all indications, and we were up against the number three seeding team, so we knew there and then that it would be a tough task for us…and we meticulously prepared and it paid off,” he continued

Looking ahead to Qatar, Downswell stressed that preparation will be key.

“They are just eagerly awaiting the draw, and based on that, we structure the preparation accordingly. We will be doing the necessary preparation prior to that in terms of physical work and such, and looking at the composition of the unit that we will bring into play,” he added.