THE Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), through it’s top elected official, says it is facing a US$2-million ($300-million) budget to prepare the Reggae Girlz for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

JFF President Michael Ricketts explained that his organisation has been receiving some amount of funding for the team, but he adds that they are still in need of a lot more funds as the federation looks to boost team preparations for the tournament which will run from July 20 to August 20, 2023.

“A lot of funding will be required but we have been getting some funds for preparations — but I honestly think that we are going to need a lot more than what will be given to us,” said Ricketts.

“I am sure that US$2 million is what we are looking at — and that is being very conservative because to have practice games and to bring these players from all over the world, that in itself is a very expensive exercise,” he informed.

“However, we will be working very hard and trying our utmost best to ensure that the players are properly prepared and ready to execute when the World Cup starts next summer,” Ricketts shared.

The former Clarendon FA president says accumulating funds is one thing, but stressed that responsible fiduciary behavior is equally critical in the process of income generation and expenditure.

“We want to ensure that we are very prudent in what we spend and ensure that we get very good results from what we may spend in terms of funds,” Ricketts expressed.

The Reggae Girlz have been drawn in Group F, in which they will face former world champions Brazil, along with France and the winners of the play-off between Chinese Taipei and Papua New Guinea.

The Reggae Girlz play France on July 23 at Sydney Football Stadium in Australia, then meet either Chinese Taipei, Paragua or Papua New Guinea in Perth, Australia, on July 29. The Girlz will finish the group stage against Brazil in Melbourne, Australia, on August 2.

Ricketts shared that the group is going to be very challenging for the Jamaicans, therefore the JFF will be doing its best to ensure the team is properly prepared for the tournament.

“It is a tough group, I think, but we will be trying our best to ensure that we give the Girlz the best opportunity. It is a difficult draw but honestly, I don’t know if any group is soft and so we just have to prepare ourselves and just hope for the best,” said the JFF boss.

“We are looking around for good international games and the first two will be next month, and of course will be trying our best to get good practice games leading into Australia and New Zealand,” Ricketts added.

The Reggae Girlz are scheduled to host South America side Paraguay in two friendly internationals on November 10 and 13, with the first to be played at Catherine Hall Stadium in Montego Bay while the second fixture will be played at the National Stadium in Kingston. “We are on a path of getting good games and we are having negotiations as we speak to ensure that we get some real top-quality teams that are actually in the World Cup, and so it is a work in progress and we are just hoping for the best,” Ricketts concluded.