JFF ‘feeling good’ about Reggae Girlz performances vs South Africa
Dennis Chung, General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), expressed satisfaction with the Reggae Girlz’s performances in their two matches against South Africa, describing them as excellent preparation for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
The Reggae Girlz secured a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over South Africa on Monday night at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James. Goals from Vyan Sampson, captain Drew Spence, and Kayla McKenna sealed the win for the Hubert Busby-coached team, while Linda Motlhalo and Amogelang Motau scored for South Africa. Jamaica also won the opening match of the series 3-0 last Friday.
“We are feeling good about the games because I think that the games were a good showing of the team,” Chung said. “The team played well and it showed that the team is coming together. This is something the new coach has spoken to us about assembling the best team and finding the right mix between experience and youth.”
Chung highlighted the integration of young, local talent as a positive sign for the team’s development.
“Personally, I am especially pleased to see local players like Davia Richards and 17-year-old Destiny Powell in the team, along with Shaniel Buckley, who just earned a scholarship overseas so it is all coming together,” he said.
He stressed that the matches provided excellent preparation for the national team ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“This is an excellent way to segue into the World Cup qualifiers next year because the team looks good. They were passing the ball well and had significant possession,” Chung noted. “The South African team improved in the second game as they played very well in the first half.”
“But I think our team is coming together and once we inject more young players, we will have a formidable side heading into the World Cup, and I expect that we will do well.”
Chung, a respected businessman, also praised the fan turnout in Western Jamaica for the two matches.
“In terms of support, I think we had a decent turnout. It is a small stadium and we only used the grandstand, which was basically full,” he said. “Women’s games always get less support than men’s, but we were pretty satisfied with the attendance. Monday’s match had a slightly larger crowd than Friday’s and we think next time we will see an even bigger audience.”
Chung also highlighted the impressive online viewership for both matches, which attracted fans from around the world.
“One of the things I was particularly pleased with was the online viewership. On Monday, we had over 7,000 people watching the game online globally, and Friday’s match had over 65,000 views. So, we are pretty satisfied with how it’s going,” he stated.
