Sport Minister Olivia Grange says the Reggae Girlz, through qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Round of 16, have given Jamaica reason to be inspired to dream big.

Jamaica followed up a 0-0 draw and 1-0 win against France and Panama, respectively, with a 0-0 draw against Brazil in Group F on Wednesday to become the first Caribbean nation, whether male or female, at any age group to reach the elimination stage of a World Cup. They finished the group in second on five points, behind France, eliminating Brazil, who were led by one of the most accomplished women’s players of all time — Marta.

Grange, who is also the minister of gender, describes this feat as a “great inspiration” for Jamaican women of all ages.

“It is a legacy and I feel proud that under my watch we have been historic in our efforts,” she told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday. “The Reggae Girlz have shown a determination that the country should look at and really take a leaf out of their book. If you dream big, and if you are determined, nothing is impossible. The average person would’ve thought it wouldn’t happen but they had the conviction it would happen and I had the belief it would happen. There are others who believed in them and today it showed.”

Grange says she is especially proud of how well women in various sporting disciplines have been representing the nation.

“What is so fantastic is that our women are doing very well in sports,” she said. “I have no doubt the Sunshine Girls are going to do extremely well and they may win the World Cup. The volleyball team has done very well (winning the CAZOVA Caribbean Championship on Saturday), and our [track and field] athletes, I know coming back from [the World Athletics Championships in] Budapest, will give us a lot to be proud of. As the minister responsible for gender, it’s just a convergence of everything. It’s a great feeling and manifestation of what it is that you can achieve if you just work towards it and the support of the Government is important.

“Jamaica as a country of less than three million people, we have impacted the world in a tremendous way. We are small but we have a voice. We’re small but we are able to challenge big nations in sports and to come out victorious or to be equal to the task. I always say that at the centre of Brand Jamaica is our sports, our culture, our entertainment, and certainly the women in Jamaica are leading the way, and I’m happy to be the minister at this time.”

Ali McNab, a special advisor in the Ministry of Sport, and former national player, agrees with Grange, saying women are now outdoing men in many aspects of Jamaican society, and this must not be seen as threatening, but a positive.

“I think that’s not cause for concern — it’s cause for eye-opening,” he said. “What’s happening in women’s sport? The depth of women’s track and field is just unbelievable. We don’t see that depth on the men’s side. We’re seeing this in football. It’s steady growth. We got to the Women’s World Cup the last time, that was the achievement then, and now we have gone to the round of 16. Within our school structure, we’re seeing that there’s a predominance of females in the classrooms and in university.”

McNab says he was proud of the team even before its World Cup performances.

“We want to bask in the glory of what these ladies have done and I want to join with Jamaica in celebrating them,” he said.

“Just the achievement stands by itself that it’s Jamaica’s greatest footballing achievement — men or women, that’s not in question.

“It didn’t take today’s game for me to be proud of them,” he said. “There is something special about this team. There seems to be a quiet determination and pride in representing Jamaica, which seems to have been missing in our recent sporting circle.

“For a long time, I have not seen a team defend with such resoluteness, commitment to the cause, and commitment to the obvious plan that was set out by the coach.”

That coach is Lorne Donaldson, whom McNab knew well from their time as teammates in the National Premier League.

“I am personally proud of the coach and his achievement,” he said. “He and I played at Cavalier for many years together. He was a midfielder, a pretty outstanding player who represented Jamaica as well, then he emigrated and carried on his commitment to football. I am as proud of him as I am of the girls themselves, and certainly as a Jamaican, one is just totally over the moon.”

But McNab warned that this achievement presents an opportunity for national growth that should not be overlooked.

“There is an appeal to the private sector and to people because there are many who can contribute, not just financially, to the development of women’s football,” he said. “We need to develop a local league, within the school structure. We need to make women know that there is equal and maybe even better opportunity for scholarships, for professionalism in terms of export of female players to other countries. Many of these girls are playing all over the world. Most of Jamaica didn’t know that. They only know that [Khadija] ‘Bunny’ Shaw is playing in England; therefore, local girls need to know there is this opportunity as well and we have to develop the product for export.”

The Reggae Girlz are next in action on Tuesday when they play the winners of Group H in Melbourne, Australia, at 3:00 am Jamaica time.