Women’s football, a worthwhile investment
While women’s football is steadily increasing in popularity globally, and despite FIFA outlining plans to throw big money behind its future development, I must confess that I have never been a fan of female football.
However, I believe congratulations are definitely in order for Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, who recently emulated a feat accomplished by our Reggae Boyz in 1998, when they became the first English-speaking Caribbean team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup tournament. Interestingly, as was the case with the Boyz, this tournament will be staged in France.
France is not the only similarities between the Boyz and the Girlz based on what we saw on their road to qualification. While the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) obviously did its best in terms of providing all the support it could, I believe our success was primarily driven by the self-belief and determination of the Girlz, one of the defining qualities displayed by the Boyz 20 years ago. In terms of tactical awareness, ball artistry, and even basic techniques, the Girlz were quite flawed and, in many instances, far from pleasing to the eyes. However, in terms of resilience, determination and willingness to just keep going, the girls were just as good as eventual champions the United States and the beaten finalists Canada. While the coaching staff must be commended for the stellar role they played in keeping the girls focused, I believe we need to highlight the foundational contribution of persons like Elaine Walker-Brown, Lorraine Scringers, the former president of the Hanover Football Association (HFA), and Ian Forbes, through his association with Sherwin Williams, who were all quite instrumental in pushing Jamaica’s women football when it was not fashionable to do so.
It is unlikely that I will ever become a passionate fan of local women’s football, but I still believe that, on account of the success of these Girlz, the
JFF really needs to start thinking seriously about expanding women’s football to every corner of the island, because I am sure that before long, many of our women will become good enough to be topflight professional footballers.
PLAYING WITH THE BOYS
Unlike in my time as a physical education teacher at St James High School, when I was reluctant to allow a young Jodi-Ann McGregor, who subsequently went on to represent Jamaica, from playing with the boys, despite the boys repeatedly telling me how good she was, I believe the time has come to start pushing more girls into the game.
While all the girls might not become professionals, it is clear, based on the number of local girls now playing on the college circuit in the United States, that football could be a pathway to getting a college or university education via scholarships. In fact, in listening to some of the recent interviews given by the ‘Girlz,’ it seems quite clear that many of them are very bright.
I do not wish to identify any particular women by name at this time, but there are numerous extremely wealthy women here in western Jamaica who I would like to see coming out do to western Jamaica’s women football what Cedella Marley has been doing for our Reggae Girlz in terms of being a guardian angel who is 100 per cent committed to ensuring success.
In fact, I strongly believe that if the requisite financial support was to be made available to female football here in western Jamaica, stalwarts such as Scringers, Trelawny Football Association is Marline Brown, former JFF Western Confederation general secretary Carol Gentles, Granville FC’s Tracy Reid, and the experienced McGregor could all collectively create a powerful women’s programme in the region.