JFF Live comes on stream for T&T Friendlies
Published:Tuesday | January 21, 2025 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THE JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) will use the two Reggae Boyz friendlies against Trinidad and Tobago on February 6 and 9, to kick-start the streaming of its JFF Live channel on YouTube, with an official launch to take place on February 28, when full details will be disclosed.
Nevertheless, starting with the first game against Trinidad on February 6, fans can subscribe to the channel at a cost of US$9,99 per month to watch the games.
Apart from streaming live games, the channel will include interactive sessions and original content.
JFF general secretary Dennis Chung said the organisation is excited about the channel, which will help expose the JFF brand and men’s and women’s national teams of all age groups.
“We are very excited about this. This is something we have been working on for a while, to ensure we can bring our games, our brand to the world and bring our players to the fans.
“This is definitely the way to bring JFF football to the world. So we are not just focusing on persons in Jamaica because we recognise that our fan base is far and wide,” he said.
He noted that for the two games against Trinidad and Tobago, which take place at the Catherine Hall Complex and at the Anthony Spaulding Complex, there may be capacity issues, and that streaming will help facilitate the shortfall they may have in physical attendance for these matches.
Gario Graham, founder of Kingston Made Production, one of the JFF’s partners spearheading the venture, noted that the pilot for the initiative in November and December during a friendly between the Reggae Girlz and South Africa was a huge success.
According to Graham, the product will be much improved and will get better as they move forward.
“We have made some major improvements from the quality standpoint. We upgraded camera quality, and the next best thing is Wi-Fi connection capabilities at each stadium,” he said.
However, local fans will need a VPN (virtual private network – a secure connection between your device and the Internet) to access the matches.
“This is not a JFF thing,” Graham explained.
“It is a YouTube requirement for anything that’s subscriber based. So if you are paying a fee in Jamaica, you will need a VPN to view it.
Meanwhile, new JFF marketing manager, Avery Campbell, said come February 28 they will officially roll out JFF Live and all its particulars, and will be expanding their social media reach and presence.
“We want to get more connected. We want to bridge the gap with the diaspora, the supporters in the diaspora and within the local space.
“We also want the digital experience, where you are getting information and content. We want to give life to your voice and your opinions. So we want to create a forum for the fans.
“We have created the Instagram channel, and we are building the WhatsApp channel for fans to have access and be more in touch with the JFF, the players and all of the stakeholders,” she commented.