Tue | Sep 23, 2025

Reggae Girlz World Cup campaign gets $2m boost

Published:Thursday | July 13, 2023 | 12:07 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
Simone Hull (right), marketing operations manager, Scotiabank, Caribbean North, presents a sponsorship cheque to Michael Ricketts (second left), president, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), to help offset the cost of the Reggae Girlz’s participation in
Ian Allen
Simone Hull (right), marketing operations manager, Scotiabank, Caribbean North, presents a sponsorship cheque to Michael Ricketts (second left), president, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), to help offset the cost of the Reggae Girlz’s participation in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Also in the photo are Dennis Chung (left), general secretary, JFF, and Rudolph Speid, technical committee chairman, JFF.

THE LORNE Donaldson-coached Reggae Girlz team benefited from a $2 million cash injection during a presentation ceremony at the Scotia Centre in downtown Kingston, yesterday.

The Reggae Girlz, who are currently in Australia ahead of next week’s start of the 2023 World Cup, face massive bills for the jaunt in what the Jamaica Football Federation has called its busiest season in history.

The Reggae Girlz are drawn in Group F alongside the trio of Brazil, France, and Panama and will play their first fixture on July 29 against Panama.

Simone Hull, marketing operations manager at Scotia Caribbean North, said the donation solidifies the company’s interest in sports, more specifically, its interest in the growth of women’s sports in Jamaica, and by extension, the Caribbean.

“Scotiabank has really been active in sports as we support sports regionally. We just completed CARIFTA games, and on Tuesday, we donated to the Sunshine Girls as well, which has been a long-standing relationship. We support the women’s movement and the empowerment of our women and girls, and we thought it was very important for us to symbolically show our sign of support to the Reggae Girlz as they embark on their trip to the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” said Hull.

Michael Ricketts, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), believes the donation will alleviate some of the issues that could hinder the Reggae Girlz’s progress at the upcoming global event while adding that following the recent cash donation from Scotiabank, things were looking up.

THANKFUL FOR SUPPORT

“I wouldn’t say that things are all perfect, but we are getting there. We would have made missteps before, but nobody is infallible. We [JFF] want to ensure that going forward, we do not make the same mistakes over and over. As it is now, I would like to say thanks to the corporate entities that have come on board. I want to also commend Cedella Marley and her foundation, and we’ve worked assiduously to ensure that we get this right, and as of now, things are progressing well and when the Girlz go on the field, it’s just to play football,” said Ricketts.

Dennis Chung, general secretary of the JFF, added that he was grateful for Scotiabank’s support given how financially difficult this period is for the organisation.

“It’s important, especially, to have a company like Scotiabank coming on. They are one of the leading financial institutions, not only in Jamaica, but in the Caribbean region. For them to express confidence in the Girlz and the JFF, it’s a great moment for us. This would have followed on the heels of other corporate bodies that have come on recently, so for them [Scotiabank] to contribute is great. I’ve always stated that it takes a lot of money to fund the JFF operations, and it’s not only about the quantity of the money, but the partnerships we create with corporate Jamaica,” said Chung.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com