With a clear focus on refining their playing model and implementing strategies to tackle top teams, Jamaica’s senior women football team head coach Hubert Busby says the Reggae Girlz will be ready to take on 2022 European Champions and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup runners-up England in a historic friendly match.

The match, scheduled for June 29 at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, is scheduled to kick-off at 11:00 am Jamaica time.

The encounter marks a significant milestone, as it will be the first time Jamaica and England faced each other in women’s international football.

The Jamaicans are looking forward to the challenge, with special focus on preparing for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in October.

The Reggae Girlz are to face another high-profile opponent that month, having scheduled a match against former world champions United States on June 3 in St Louis, Missouri.

Jamaica’s upcoming fixtures are part of their rigorous training regimen as they aim to make a strong impression on the international stage.

“The idea is not to focus on England as much as it is to focus on the things that we want to implement in our playing model. We respect the opposition tremendously, but it’s also important that we lay the foundation that pertains to our playing module,” Busby told the Jamaica Observer.

Busby emphasised the importance of being compact and organised in defence, anticipating England’s formidable array of attacking talent.

“Our strategy is similar to every game. We want to be compact, organised, and resolute in the way we defend. They have plenty of attacking options that we need to contest, but all the top 10 teams in the world have such options. Our players have faced highly skilled players in the past, so we’re looking forward to testing our skills against a very good team,” said Busby.

The team will focus on disrupting England’s possession-based gameplay, a common trait among top-ranked teams.

“I think with all the top teams in the world, they are very good in terms of their ball possession and retention. We are going to ensure that we disrupt their playing rhythm, which won’t necessarily be easy, but we will look to implement a plan that will allow us to disrupt their rhythms at times. It will also be a tough match because they are a team that really likes to dominate possession for sure,” explained Busby.

As the Reggae Girlz prepare for this historic match, Busby said that they are also committed to nurturing young talent. Busby highlighted the importance of assessing and integrating emerging players into the team.

“We will continue to progress and look at some of the younger players coming through, whether they have 10 or 15 caps. The ones we have been looking at last year, we are currently assessing and evaluating the players from the last few camps and making sure we provide a pathway for those players to come in. So we are looking to implement and continue to implement our system that surrounds these young players that we want to bring on,” he said.

Costa Rica’s Gabriela Guillen (left) and Jamaica’s Jody Brown compete for the ball during the Concacaf Women’s Championship third-place match in Monterrey, Mexico, on July 18, 2022.