Kelvin Brown eyes the world stage

With five goals in three games during Jamaica’s run at the Concacaf Men’s U17 Championship, Kelvin Brown has been in terrific form and is confident his drive can take him to the highest level of football.

Known to his teammates and fans as ‘Big Kelvin’, the tall striker was Jamaica’s leading goalscorer as they qualified for the 2025 FIFA Men’s U17 World Cup.

The Kingston College Manning Cup player scored his first goal of the tournament in Jamaica’s opening 3-0 win over Aruba, before bagging four goals in a 12-0 demolition of the Cayman Islands.

Although he failed to score in Jamaica’s 3-1 win over Canada, Brown ended the tournament as the island’s leading goalscorer, ahead of teammate Jahmarie Nolan with four, and Jamone Lyle, three.

On his return to the island from the championship, Brown said it was an amazing feeling to be a part of the team that secured Jamaica’s third U17 World Cup appearance.

The island had previously qualified for the age-group tournament in 1999 and 2011.

“It’s a great feeling for us and we’re looking forward to this World Cup this year,” Brown said.

Brown is no stranger to success with the youth national teams as he has won two titles with Jamaica over the past two years.

He was a member of the U14 Reggae Boyz squad that had a perfect run in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Challenge Series in 2024, and was a part of the U15 Reggae Boyz squad that was crowned Concacaf Men’s U15 League B champions last year.

Having just turned 16 years old, Brown said there is still a lot of areas he will need to improve on as he aims for a professional career in the sport.

“My performance was very good, but in some ways I think I could have done better. It’s still a great feeling and I’m looking forward to winning many more trophies,” he said.

“I’m aiming for the highest level that I can possibly reach.”

With the U17 World Cup to come in November this year, Brown is already eyeing a strong performance from the Boyz.

He said they will have a lot of work to do ahead of the tournament, and he is ready to put the work in to achieve their goals.

“Honestly, we just have to continue training and stay focused before the World Cup this year.”

The U17 World Cup will be held in Qatar, and is the second edition of the new annual cycle for the age-group tournament.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com