Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
THE JAMAICAN Under-20 women's football team has received financial nourishment from Mother's in the form of $500,000 worth of sponsorship.
This was announced at a press conference held at the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) headquarters in New Kingston yesterday.
The Young Reggae Girls recently returned from a successful stint in Trinidad and Tobago, where they not only became Caribbean champions for the first time, but also qualified for the 2006 CONCACAF Women's Under-20 final round in January.
"I am very proud right now to be Jamaican and I must commend the girls for doing such an excellent job of representing us," Richard Foreman, general manager of the Mother's franchise, said yesterday. "This is just the beginning of what we plan to be a long-term commitment to the development of women's football."
CONTINUED SUCCESS
JFF president Crenston Boxhill, while commending the girls for not only their performance on the field but their discipline off the field, also saw the achievement as continued success for the federation.
He pointed to the success of the Under-15 team in winning the inaugural Caribbean Football Union Youth Cup and the national men's team in winning the Digicel Cup in February.
"The best of our players exposed by playing for the national teams are getting scholarship offers and a few contracts." Boxhill said. "In the recently concluded tournament there has been interest expressed by scouts from U.S. colleges in seven of our players and their exposure will only serve to strengthen the national teams."
A broadly smiling Stacy-Ann Johnson, team captain, thanked the sponsors for their support on behalf of the Young Reggae Girls.
She said the team would continue to work hard to achieve its objective of advancing to the 2006 FIFA Women's Under-20 World Championship in Russia.
