Omar McFarlane

Operations Manager at the Jamaica Football Federation & founder of ARC Electric In

Style Observer (SO) Describe Omar McFarlane in a few sentences.

Omar McFarlane (OM) I’m a builder at heart. Whether it’s wiring a traffic signal through Arc Electric Inc, putting a football programme together, or raising my kids, the work is the same to me. You lay a foundation, you do it right, and you stay patient enough to see it grow. I’m a father, a husband, and someone who believes Jamaican football has a much bigger future than people realise. Most days I’m just trying to leave things better than I found them.

SO: What is one element of managing national football operations that the public underestimates, and how does it challenge your own expectations?

Appleton Estate Rare Old Fashioned2 oz Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks (Photo: Gavin Jones)

OM: The logistics. People see the 90 minutes on the pitch. They don’t see the visas, the flights, the specific flight request, the transportation, the training-ground bookings, the 1,000 small things that must line up perfectly before a player even touches the ball. I came in thinking I understood operations from my business. National Football humbled me fast. You’re coordinating across federations, clubs, and borders, and one missed detail can unravel a whole camp. It taught me that at this level, preparation isn’t part of the job, it is the job!

SO: What are your memories of the Reggae Boyz’s unforgettable 1998 World Cup campaign?

OM: That whole stretch is burned into me. November 1997, the draw with Mexico, the country losing its mind. People in the streets, horns going, flags everywhere. Then Prime Minister PJ Patterson gave us a holiday, and it felt like the whole island exhaled at once. Then France. Watching Theodore Whitmore put two past Japan for our first World Cup win, I remember the noise, the pride, the feeling that a small island had earned its place among the best in the world. That campaign is a big part of why I do what I do now. It showed me what football can do for a nation’s spirit, and I want to be instrumental in making this happen again for our nation.

SO: How does your portfolio help the long-term goal of getting the Reggae Boyz back to the World Cup?

OM: It comes down to the pipeline. You don’t get back to the World Cup by accident. You get there by building player pathways, investing in grass roots and youth, and giving coaches the education they need to develop talent properly. My work has always been about the foundation underneath the result. Strong clubs, real youth development, women’s football growing alongside the men’s, and systems that outlast any one administration. That’s how you create a generation good enough and deep enough to qualify, and to keep qualifying. The goal isn’t one good campaign. It’s sustained success.

Appleton Estate Rare Old Fashioned 2 oz Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks2 tsp brown sugar 2 dash Angostira Bitters (Photo: Gavin Jones)

SO: Who are five players, past or present, on your dream dinner party guest list?

OM: Pele, no question, the Legend. Then I’d want to meet Messi as the GOAT, Ronaldinho for the joy he played with, Marta because she changed what women’s football could become, and Bob Marley, who never played professionally, but his love for the game and being the most iconic Jamaican.

SO: Who is your pick to win the World Cup and why?

OM: I’ll always back the teams that play with identity over the ones that just have stars. You can’t bet against the depth Brazil and France keep producing. Brazil, especially, the way they develop talent from the ground up is exactly the model we should be studying.

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SO: Shifting gears now. What is your favourite thing to do in Kingston?

OM: Early morning before the city wakes up, a strong cup of coffee followed by a walk up Mountain Spring.

SO: Share some of the places you would take a first-time visitor to Jamaica.

OM: I’d start them in Kingston so they understand the heart of the place and its home. Janga’s for music (this place is special for me as it is where I met my wife). Treasure Beach on the south coast for somewhere slower and real, not the resort version. And you must give them one classic, so Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios. But the truth is, the best part of Jamaica isn’t a place. It’s the culture and the ease of the people from all walks of life.

SO: Given the opportunity to fix five things in Jamaica, what would they be?

Omar McFarlane (seated) and his wife Yendi with their family (clockwise, from left) Ayden, Israel, Gavin, and Isaiah.

OM: Sports infrastructure, because too much talent goes undeveloped for lack of facilities. Youth opportunity, so more kids have a real pathway whether football is their road. Coaching education, since better coaches lift everybody. Grass-roots investment because everything starts at the bottom. And I’d want to see more belief in long-term planning over quick fixes. We’re a country that produces world-class talent. We owe it to ourselves to build the systems that match it.

SO: Share with us a few of your creature comforts.

OM: Time with my wife early in the morning and my kids at the top of the list. A quiet morning walk is where I reflect on the day ahead. I’ve learned, the older I get, that comfort isn’t about things. It’s about people and a bit of peace.

SO: What’s currently dominating your playlist?

OM: Protoje, Junior Gong, Chronixx and my son’s current favourite Talk to Me by Olivia Dean.

SO: Share with us a few of your preferred fashion labels

OM: Boss, Polo, Adidas, Hoka.

SO: Share with us the title of the last book you read.

OM: Find Your Why by Simon Sinek.

SO: Which cologne are you currently splashing?

Currently splashing? Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, an enveloping woody, ambery, floral whisper..

OM: Baccarat.

SO: And what are you drinking?

OM: Appleton Estate Rare Old Fashioned

SO: How would your children describe Omar, the father?

OM: Present, I hope. Patient, but that is a long shot. The kind of father who shows up and follows through. I want them to remember a dad who was there, not just providing but present. Someone who listened, who set an example more than he gave lectures, and who loved them in a way they never had to question.

The last book on Omar McFarlane’s reading list? Find Your Way by Simon Sinek.

SO: What does fatherhood mean to you?

OM: ‘Father’ is the most important title I’ll ever hold. Everything else, the business, the football, the ambitions, it all sits underneath being a good father. Fatherhood reorders your priorities whether you’re ready or not. With my kids, and now a young son with my wife, I feel it more sharply than ever. They’re watching how I move, how I treat people, how I handle pressure. That’s the real legacy. Not what you build out there, but who you raise at home.

SO: What would your advice to a new dad be?

OM: Be present. The work will always be there, the e-mails will always be there, but those early moments don’t come back. Slow down enough to be in them. And give yourself grace because nobody has it all figured out. You learn your child by paying attention, not by reading the manual. Show up, stay patient (the hardest), and lead by example.

SO: Finally, what’s your personal philosophy?

OM: Leave it better than you found it. Whether it’s a football programme, a young player, or your own family, build something that lasts beyond you. Leadership is service, not status. And the work you do quietly, when nobody’s watching, is the work that matters.