Reggae Girlz to base in Melbourne

The Reggae Girlz, for the World Cup, will be based in Melbourne, Australia, at the Novotel Hotel and will use the Victorian State Football Centre as their training facility it was confirmed yesterday, with seven months to go before they begin their campaign.

FIFA made the final choices for the World Cup's 32 teams based on logistics, travel and game venues after they were given an opportunity in October to view and select five venues in Australia and New Zealand, who are co-hosts.

The Reggae Girlz have been drawn in Group F, where they will play France, Brazil and the winner of playoff Group C (Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea or Panama), which will be decided in two months.

Jamaica's path to the round of 16 will start in Sydney, where they will face France on July 23, against the playoff winner in Perth on July 29, and will finish against Brazil in Melbourne. The longest travel that the Girlz will take will be to Perth, where the estimated flight time from Melbourne is approximately four hours. The flight from Melbourne to Sydney is approximately an hour and 25 minutes.

In a statement released yesterday, head coach Lorne Donaldson said that they are satisfied with their base for the tournament, specifically with the facilities, which he contends will allow the Reggae Girlz to prepare adequately.

"We are happy with where we have been placed. The staff there looked like they are genuinely happy to have us. The hotel is spacious and the facilities are first-class. I am sure our team and staff will be happy there. The accompanying training ground is excellent too," Donaldson said.

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Michael Ricketts said that the focus will now shift to ensuring that the team will have all they need to perform on the field in their second consecutive World Cup appearance.

Jamaica will have a rare opportunity to get used to the conditions before the World Cup, as the JFF has accepted an invitation to compete in the Cup of Nations tournament in February in Sydney, which will include Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand, who will all participate at the World Cup.