Tiffany Cameron stands ready to help Girlz in any role
REIMS, France — There is no doubt that Tiffany Cameron is a talented player who is capable of producing goals and quality performances.
However, she is yet to get a real taste of playing at the very highest level against the toughest of opponents to put her abilities to the test.
Though showing glimpses of her ability when coming on as a substitute in the Reggae Girlz 0-3 loss to Brazil in their opening Group C contest here at the Fifa Women’s World Cup, Cameron is still eagerly and patiently waiting on her moment to make a real impression.
“I know I was only going to be playing for the last 15 minutes and when my number was called I was just smiling and so happy and I wasn’t even nervous because I am an experienced player.
“So, at the end of the day you never know when your number is going to be called because you can sit out two games and then all of a sudden be starting, so for me I am ready, it doesn’t matter how long I play, for I could start or I could come in, I am always ready to make a difference,” Cameron told the Jamaica Observer.
“So I am confident enough to say, it is my time to shine, I have worked hard for this and got through my fair share of injuries and I pushed back working with Buju [Jason Henry] and Will [Hitzelberger], who put together a good programme for me to be here,” she added.
The Canadian-born winger, whose Jamaican parents are Donovan Cameron and Yvonne Brown, is no stranger to the world stage, having previously represented Canada at the Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008, where she started all four matches and helped the team to the quarter-final round. She was also the team’s leading scorer during the qualifiers.
From there, Cameron transitioned to the senior team where she played six friendly contests, which means she could still change her affiliation to Jamaica following their historic qualification. She made her debut in the Reggae Girlz’ 1-0 friendly win against Chile in February.
“I have been in contact with [Hubert] Busby since 2015, but at the time I was with team Canada and there was funding involved, so there would have been a mix up if I had left, so I said I am not ready and they (Jamaica) were monitoring me.
“But then after a while I questioned myself and I remembered watching the [Concacaf Women’s Championships] qualifiers and Nicole [McClure] has been my good friend and I kept contacting her and pushing her, telling her that her chance was going to come and she went in and made these great saves and then a few hours after Jamaica qualified, Busby reached out to me again. So I said to myself it was now or never,” Cameron shared as she reflected on her journey to the Reggae Girlz set-up.
“I am so happy that I took the risk, I know there was going to be changes, but I just looked at my age and my experience and I knew if I made the decision it would be the right one,” she noted.
Given her versatility, capable of scoring goals and producing assists for teammates, Cameron has been an integral asset to several top sides.
Cameron’s abundance of talent and capability to change games on a regular basis, at the very highest level, saw her plying her trade for Borussia Mönchengladbach and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga, FC Ramat HaSharon of the Israeli First League, as well as Seattle Reign FC and FC Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League.
She has also played for Apolon Limassol in the Cypriot First Division before docking at Norwegian club Stabaek.
The now 27-year-old believes those experiences laid the platform for her arrival to the Reggae Girlz fold, and by extension, playing on the biggest stage in football.
“It has been quite the journey,” Cameron said with a broad smile.
“I am very competitive, so I said if I am going to go into a team, I want to make a big difference. The thing with me is, if I set my mind to something I will get it done. In the football world, its just the mentality that whatever you think you can do, you can do it, if you doubt yourself then you’re bound to fail.
“So, I think it is very important and I would recommend for any young player after college to go out and see the world because there is so much that you can learn away from home and I think to become a seasoned player that is what you have to do. You have to put yourself out of your comfort zone and kind of go into a whole new environment and learn to adapt,” Cameron reasoned.
During her time in the Canadian set-up, Cameron said she grew fond of winger Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanan, both of whom also have Jamaican ties, as well as veteran striker Christine Sinclair.
Now she is fascinated by the fact that she has joined these players here on the world stage.
“They are my really good friends, so they are kind of like inspiration for me, although I am older and they also look at me as inspiration. So we help each other out in that regard and keep in contact. They have been so supportive,” said Cameron.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s second group game against Italy at Stade Auguste-Delaune, Cameron is exuding confidence that her 53rd-ranked Reggae Girlz team will rise to the occasion.
“I think now we know that we need to at least win one or both games, so I think we are focused. We were able to sit back and watch videos and see where we went wrong and what we did right and what we need to do better. So I think going into the next game, we are excited and ready to make a big impact and win,” she ended.
The Jamaicans are at the foot of Group C currently being led by Brazil with a better goal difference over Italy, who are also on three points each, following their 2-1 win over top-ranked Australia.