Jamaicans are celebrating a team that was once disbanded due to funding cuts but played its way to a 0-0 draw with Brazil, following a draw with heavyweight France and a win over Panama, that advanced them to the round of 16 in the women’s World Cup.
Their story has also led to Cinderella analogies — something head coach Lorne Donaldson was asked about after their match with Brazil. “I don’t know, Cinderella wears a pretty dress,” he joked, adding the team was “just going to take it one day at a time,” to focus on their next game. “And if we can wear a pretty dress, we’ll put it on,” he said.
Their success — a feat the Jamaican prime minister described as “HISTORIC!!” — has given the island nation all the more reason to celebrate its upcoming Independence Day on Sunday.
“I hope they win; I’m so proud,” one woman in the capital, Kingston, said, while other Jamaican observers described the team’s performance as “inspirational,” “sensational” and “simply unparalleled.”
But even as they celebrated the rise of an underdog, critics highlighted underfunding in the world of women’s sports and insufficient financial support in Jamaica that pushed the Reggae Girlz to rely on crowdfunding to help cover expenses for the World Cup.
In the run up to the team’s trip to Australia, midfielder Havana Solaun’s mother launched a GoFundMe campaign called Reggae Girlz Rise Up that had raised more than $50,000, alongside other efforts.
The players have also said they are grateful for support from reggae icon Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella Marley, who intervened nearly 10 years ago to help raise money and restart the team after funding cuts disbanded the national women’s program. Marley has said she was inspired by her father’s love of soccer.
“I’m overjoyed,” one Jamaican told a Caribbean sports channel on Thursday. “Tell the Reggae Girlz to keep on movin’, keep on groovin’,” he added, quoting lyrics from a Bob Marley song.
Responding to criticism about government funding, the country’s sports minister, Olivia Grange, said $10 million was allocated this year specifically for the team’s World Cup campaign, in addition to other forms of support. “We can only do so much, but we always rise to the occasion and we play our part in ensuring that they get funding,” she told Jamaican media Thursday.
She said Wednesday’s match against Brazil was “undoubtedly the proudest moment so far in Jamaica’s football history.” “I could not help shedding a few tears. Tears of joy,” she said.
The Reggae Girls have criticized the country’s Football Federation and decried a lack of support ahead of the World Cup, but pledged to do their best anyway. “I feel like we’ve been hugely underestimated,” goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer said after the game that catapulted them to the next stage.
The Jamaica Football Federation did not respond to a request for comment.
“PAYYYY THEM. DO BETTER. THESE REGGAE GIRLZ ARE SUPERSTARS,” a fan tweeted.
“Reggae Girlz making history,” another wrote. “I can’t even express how proud I am to be Jamaican.”
Fielding questions about whether the festivities would lead to a national holiday in Jamaica, Manager Lorne Donaldson told a news conference this week he was sure Jamaicans would celebrate “like you’ve never seen.”
“Trust me, Jamaicans love a reason to celebrate,” he said.
The team’s next game is on Tuesday, against Colombia.
Adela Suliman contributed to this report.