After going almost two years without any women’s international football, Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall, St James, will soon buzz with excitement as Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz face South Africa in two friendly matches in the western parish.

The stadium, which recently reopened after undergoing refurbishment, last hosted an international game in March 2023 when the Reggae Boyz played against Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago. The Reggae Girlz last played at venue in 2022, battling Paraguay.

Dennis Chung, general secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), indicated that the Reggae Girlz’ two-match series will take place on November 29 and December 2, giving fans in western Jamaica a chance to cheer them on.

He stated that seating capacity of the venue has been a hindrance.

“We would love to, of course, have a lot more games in Montego Bay because they already have facilities in terms of hotels and all of that. The problem with Montego Bay is that the field is no longer an issue, but the number of stands [seating for spectators] is a concern for us,” said Chung.

“Remember that we have to cover the costs of the games and make some money from it. The National Stadium, for example, has a capacity of about 30,000 people, but Montego Bay doesn’t accommodate even half of that,” Chung pointed out.

“So to host a game like the last Reggae Boyz match against Cuba at the National Stadium, which had over 17,000 attendees, Montego Bay couldn’t accommodate that many people. That is really the problem with Montego Bay; they need to develop the stands and increase capacity before we can consider hosting larger demand games there.

“It would be cheaper to host games there, but we also want to bring football to Montego Bay because most of the bigger games are in Kingston. The capacity issue is significant, as they lack the sporting infrastructure to host the type of crowd we want to attract,” Chung underscored.

Gregory Daley, president of St James Football Association, expressed his happiness with the announcement, calling it good news for football fans in western Jamaica.

“It is a good feeling that international football is coming to western Jamaica and, by extension, St James,” Daley said.

“I hope that the supporters will turn out in numbers to support the event, and we hope to see more matches coming this way afterwards. We would love to see the Reggae Boyz playing here, and there may be opportunities for Caribbean games or other matches to be held here,” Daley added.