JAMAICA – To borrow from native son Bob Marley, Jamaica is jammin’.
Jamaica has qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup as one of the top four finishers at the CONCACAF W Championship. The Reggae Girlz next face Canada on Thursday night in the tournament semifinals.
Next summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will mark Jamaica’s second appearance in soccer’s premier tournament. They were the first-ever Caribbean team to make the field in 2019.
The Reggae Girlz have made a dramatic climb onto the international stage. The team didn’t exist just six years ago and it has had to constantly struggle for funding.
“There´s so much higher levels that we can reach with even more investment from back home,” forward Kayla McCoy said. “So, we´re kind of excited to see what comes from us qualifying again, because not a lot of people thought we could do it again. I think it kind of solidified us into this position and now people know that that we´re for real and will begin to invest a bit more.”
The team was disbanded in 2008 after failing to qualify for the 2007 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics.
In 2014, Bob and Rita Marley’s eldest daughter, Cedella, made it her mission to resurrect the team. While Jamaica didn’t qualify for the 2015 World Cup in Canada, the team attracted fans through its connection to the Marley family.
Cedella Marley has been a tireless ambassador for the team, drumming up much-needed sponsors. A GoFundMe was once set up to help Jamaica train and players have held other fundraisers. But even with success, the Reggae Girlz struggle to get funding from the Jamaican federation.
Jamaica has also overcome considerable turbulence at the helm in recent years. Coach Lorne Donaldson just took over at the beginning of June – he’s had just a month with the team.
“I think the important thing for us as a group is that we stuck together through everything and we overcame those challenges,” McCoy said. “The women on this team have had each other´s backs from the start and from the beginning, and I think the group that we have, and the family that we have is what has kept us going through all of this and what has kept us kind of overcoming those obstacles.”
