The future looks good – team manager

Jean Nelson, the manager of Jamaica's Reggae Girlz, wore a proud smile on her face when she arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport from what she believed was a learning experience for the team at their first ever Women's World Cup in France.

She smiled because she believes that this is only the start for the Reggae Girlz.

"The future looks good," she beamed as she expounded on the girlz' exploits.

After being reinstated in 2014 after a brief hiatus from international activity due to a lack of funding, it would not take long for the team to make their first appearance at the World Cup. Despite the end result, suffering three consecutive defeats at the hands of Brazil, Italy and Australia, Nelson highlighted the positives for the team going forward.

Programme going strong

"I think the future is looking good. We just have the keep the programme going strong, and be serious about what we're doing while planning accordingly," Nelson expounded.

"The fact that we have the U-17 team now, these girls will look up to the senior girls who just qualified. We also have U-20 girls' qualifiers coming up later this year. We have the Pan American Games, which is starting July 26 and finishes August 11, and we also have the Olympic qualifiers coming up in October of this year."

Nelson was quick to attest to the continued success of the girls being dependent on the support from all corners and angles. She believes that while the future is not guaranteed, the Reggae Girlz can make a repeat appearance at the world's biggest stage with the right support system in place.

"Only God knows the future but I think if we put things in place with proper planning and all of that, I think we can achieve the same goal again."

The Girlz next tournament will be next month at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

- Gregory Bryce