KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica’s Women’s head coach Hugh Busby was pleased with what he saw during the final of the Jamaica Women’s Premier League, citing enough local talent on display that can push for Senior Reggae Girlz spots.

The Jamaican team is made predominantly of players born outside of Jamaica, similar to the Reggae Boyz, but Busby believes the local league is working.

“It’s the beginning of what we hope will be a sustainable league that allows for us to not just develop young players in there, but develop young players able to come through, which I think is really important,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“It’s imperative that the club’s environment provide a really good environment for them to continue to develop, raise the standards so that everyone can look to improve,” he continued.

Reggae Girlz captain Khadija Shaw came through the local league and is now playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester City.

Doneisha Blackwood, Trudi Carter, Jody Brown, Konya Plummer are standard-bearers, but in the last few years, only a handful of locally-based players have transitioned to the senior team.

After the game, Busby could be seen talking to two of the local standouts, Davia Richards and Destiny Powell, two players who earned a recent call-up to the Senior Reggae Girlz squad.

“There are a few of them, but those two have been recently within the camps and we’ve had discussions and more about them leaving now to go to school and letting them know that they have to maintain and exceed the standards in terms of what’s necessary,” Busby revealed.

“But just more or less just encouragement, just to keep pushing and they’re great examples of what other players could aspire to. But there are so many of them that did a really good job. I think those are just two that are in a good season,” he pointed out.

“They have to push on in terms of what they want out of their careers and what they want out of their academic pursuits. With these players, Powell and Richards coming through locally to the senior team, that’s the encouragement for the other players,” he reiterated.