Lorne Donaldson out as Reggae Girlz coach
Published:Friday | September 29, 2023 | 2:38 PMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz will face the inaugural Women’s Gold Cup qualification without the head coach who took them to the last 16 of the women’s World Cup a month ago.
In a release, earlier today, the Jamaica Football Federation, said after a conversation with Lorne Donaldson, whose contract as head coach of the Reggae Girlz runs out on September 30, there will not be a renewal.
Donaldson, succeeded Vin Blaine last June after the latter resigned following a fallout with members of the squad.
However, after guiding the Reggae Girlz to a second successive World Cup appearance and a historic berth in the round of 16 this summer, the veteran coach, made it clear that he had not had contract renewal talks with the federation and that the chance of him continuing seemed slim.
According to the release, the JFF and Donaldson met to discuss his contract and after an extended discussion, both parties agreed not to renew the contract.
The release went on to say the federation was cognisant of the fact that the team would be participating in the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifying in less than a month and had already put the machinery in place to have a competent replacement for those matches.
"The JFF wishes to place on record, our thanks to Lorne for his services to Jamaica's football over the years, and specially making us proud at the recent Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, and we are confident that he will have unlimited success in his future endeavors and wish him the very best," the statement said.
Donaldson, who served as assistant to Hue Menzies during the girlz historic qualification to the 2019 World Cup in France, was in his second stint as coach.
He first took the head coach job after Menzies resigned at the end of 2019 and guided the team through the early stage of the Concacaf Olympic qualifying, but then refused to sign long term in a show of support to Menzies, who complained of financial and professional issues with the federation.
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