With Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz football fairytale set to have a positive impact on lives around the world, Head Coach Lorne Donaldson argues it would be little surprise if women’s football was to become the country’s most successful sport.

The Reggae Girlz, competing in their second-consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup event, have already rewritten history at the 2023 edition being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The Caribbean side held European heavyweights and world fifth-ranked France to a 0-0 result in Sydney on July 23, which was noteworthy for the Jamaicans because it was their first-ever point at a World Cup.

Then, on July 29, they achieved even more history by defeating Panama 1-0 in Perth, their first World Cup win. It is now the country’s most significant achievement in women’s football.

“Well, I think people are getting behind the team now, which is good because I used to wonder if women’s football would ever take off in Jamaica,” Donaldson remarked.

“I think with the Diaspora, I could see it in the stands right here; they showed a lot of clips in Jamaica, and I’m getting a lot of phone messages from people I haven’t talked to in like 30 years, and they’re coming out with support for the team.

“Also people are waking up early in the morning in Jamaica watching the game and I think that is good for the sport overall especially for women’s sport in Jamaica,” the head coach added.

Netball has long been the most successful team sport in Jamaica, with the Sunshine Girls currently ranked fourth in the world behind Australia, New Zealand, and England. The Sunshine Girls’ historic silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in England and gold medal in the Central American and Caribbean Games underlined their global status.

However, according to Donaldson, the Reggae Girlz have exceeded many expectations and reached new heights.

“I know we have netball, I know we have volleyball going on and kudos to them as I think they are doing well, but you know we can take the lead as women’s footballers, women’s sport in Jamaica,” said the tactician.

“I know track and field has always been a gem but you know we can always go out there and elevate all the women’s sport in Jamaica,” he stated.

He said the Reggae Girlz’s World Cup achievements will live on in the minds and emotions of all Jamaicans, based both home and overseas.

“It is good for both the players and the country. To me, winning the World Cup [match] for the first time is great, but records are meant to be broken, and someone will come along in the future and clean up this record. It’s great for the country right now, but I don’t put my faith in that kind of stuff.”

The head coach said the squad has come a long way since the 2019 tournament in France.

“The last World Cup we were young, naive, and a deer in the headlight. Maybe it is a kangaroo in a headlight here in Australia, but we have a lot more faith and a slightly superior team.

“So with the coaching staff, the technical staff, the front office and everybody who works well together, we have a lot more belief that we could create more magical moments,” Donaldson said.

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

China 1, England 6

Haiti 0, Denmark 2

Portugal 0, USA 0

Vietnam 0, Netherlands 7

WEDNESDAY’S MATCHES

Jamaica vs Brazil

Panama vs France

Argentina vs Sweden

South Africa vs Italy