The joy and pride we all felt when the Reggae Girlz made history to qualify for the round of 16 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals was immeasurable. We made history as the first Caribbean country to reach the knockouts. These young women, with grit, resilience, stealthy strategy, and courage, found a way.

For the first time in my lifetime, Jamaicans at home and abroad were not upset that Brazil lost; instead, they were ecstatic.

The Girlz’s sensational victory was the icing for me, as when they qualified for the tournament that was a huge deal. Yet the journey for the Reggae Girlz has been financially challenging and glaringly burdensome, if we are honest. Indeed, not the same road as the Reggae Boyz when they qualified for the World Cup in 1997.

I remember when the Reggae Boyz qualified Prime Minister P J Patterson declared a public holiday the following day, on November 17, 1997, because it was such a historic moment for our island. But, then again, at that time the Government of Jamaica had an entire strategic plan and campaign in tandem with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) to ensure that Jamaica secured a place in the FIFA 1998 World Cup, which was to be held in France.

It was no secret that JFF President Captain Horace Burrell went to the prime minister and told him he had a dream that Jamaica could reach the World Cup finals and needed help. One of his urgent needs was a coach from Brazil; one of the best, not just any coach.

Patterson immediately wrote to the Brazilian president requesting a coach to to assist with developing the Jamaican “Reggae Boyz” football programme and getting the team to the games. Enter Technical Director Rene Simoes, Captain Burrell, Head Coach Carl Brown, General Secretary Horace Reid, the JFF’s coaching staff, and team members. The rest is history, as they say, and before the Boyz departed for France, Patterson hosted a send-off function for them at Jamaica House.

These events were just a tiny part of the overall production. The entire country rallied behind the Boyz on the ‘Road to France’. We were a country on show to the world, and no one was more mindful about that than our prime minister.

As such, he led the Government delegation to attend the football matches the Boyz played at the tournament to give them support on behalf of a grateful nation.

Patron from far and wide hailed the Reggae Boyz. They added their global signatures to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) giant commemorative football in honour of the Reggae Boyz erected outside one of the stadia. The cost of the ball: $9 million. However, no one seemed to mind as no price was too great to match our Jamaican pride seeing our colours at the World Cup for the first time. I’m not even sure where that ball is today.

Thank you, Cedella Marley

So why hasn’t the same, if not better, treatment been given to the Reggae Girlz? Where’s the gender equity and gender equality? After all, they’ve qualified and they’ve gone further in the tournament.

Last month the Girlz wrote an open letter to the JFF expressing their “utmost disappointment” in what they described as “subpar” conditions during their World Cup preparations, also alleging that the association failed to deliver on “contractually agreed upon compensation”.

Sandra Phillips-Brower, the mother of Jamaican midfielder Havana Solaun, started a fund-raising campaign in April 2023 with a call to “fight for equality”, saying the team did not have adequate resources from the JFF. The GoFundMe, entitled Reggae Girlz Rise Up, raised over US$50,000 ($7.75 million) from over 1,000 donations to help cover costs with playing in the World Cup, including a training camp, food, and travel. (Newsweek, July 2023)

The amount raised is less than the $9 million for the commemorative giant football for the Reggae Boyz paid for by the JTB in 1998. Let that sink in.

I am not getting into when the Jamaican women’s football programme became dormant. Some argue it was 2008 or between 2010 to 2014. Whenever it was, it should never have happened. This is why I want to thank Cedella Marley publicly. I remember when she stepped forward when she learnt about the Jamaica women’s football plight with limited resources. Her support restarted the programme in 2015. She became a global ambassador and sponsor, raising money and awareness through a recorded song, Strike Hard, with her brothers Stephen and Damian. Through a combination of the royalties earned from the song and a GoFundMe page they raised approximately US$300,000 within the first year.

Despite the team not qualifying for the World Cup, and disbanding in 2016, Cedella Marley never wavered nor did she give up on women’s football in Jamaica.

“These girls have been told for a long time that women in sports, especially football in Jamaica, wasn’t that important; like, it doesn’t matter. ‘You guys don’t make money. You don’t bring in the crowds. You don’t do this, you don’t do that… Nobody wants to give us brand deals because [it’s] the female team and so it’s funny now to see how all of that has changed drastically, not just for our women, but around the world… and that makes me excited.” (Cedella Marley, CNN, August 2, 2023)

Cedella later started the ‘Football is Freedom’ campaign to give “every girl a chance to become a game changer, not just on the pitch, but in their homes, in their communities and life in general”.

Jamaica has the second-highest murder rate for women globally. Thirty per cent of our women experience physical violence. Seventy per cent of our girls under 18 years who have been victims of crime say they have been raped, and one in every four women report intimate partner violence. Too many women at home cannot afford to live and provide for their children. The pandemic made matters worse, as 53 per cent lost income and employment.

Getting our women involved in sports can be a positive disruptor for many who need a way out of poverty and abuse. The Reggae Girlz are a beacon of hope for Jamaican women and women worldwide who every day have to make a way to survive. Therefore, let us adequately fund and support them. And not only them. Consequently, we must invest in sports for our women to thrive. We just have to look at our female track stars, swimmers, and Sunshine Girls, who bring our nation fame, glory, and pride. Create capital budgets for our female teams, Prime Minister.

Here’s to all the disruptive women who never settle for the ordinary. Keep striking hard!

Lisa Hanna is Member of Parliament for St Ann South Eastern, People’s National Party spokesperson on foreign affairs and foreign trade, and a former Cabinet member.