1 year ago
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IT was, overall, a positive 2024 for Jamaica’s senior men’s football team, the Reggae Boyz.
After upstaging Canada in their Nations League quarterfinal to close out 2023, the Reggae Boyz kick-started last year with their Nations League semi-final against the USA in March, with a real hope of making the final.
However, the US proved too strong on home soil, coming away with a 3-1 victory. However, the Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached team ended the tournament in third after a 1-0 win over Panama in the third-place match, thanks to a Shamar Nicholson strike.
The Boyz opened their 2026 Concacaf World Cup qualifying campaign in June with a 1-0 win over the Dominican Republic, also courtesy of a Shamar Nicholson goal.
Nicholson also netted a brace as the Reggae Boyz clipped Dominica 3-2.
Jamaica share the lead in Group E with Guatemala, who have also won their two matches but hold a better goal difference.
Following the two World Cup qualifiers, the Boyz headed straight into the Copa America tournament, held in the USA, also in June.
Although they failed to win a game, they scored a historic goal, through Michail Antonio, who netted the consolation strike in a 3-1 defeat to Ecuador.
The Jamaican team also lost 1-0 to Mexico.and 3-0 to Venezuela.
Antonio’s strike is Jamaica’s only goal in nine Copa America matches, in which they have conceded 16 times.
The Reggae Boyz started life new coach Steve McClaren in July. McClaren took over the reins from Hallgrimsson, who gave up the job at the end of the Copa America.
The Boyz started the 2024-25 Nations League with a 0-0 draw at home to Cuba before defeating Honduras and Nicaragua away to top League A, Group B, with seven points. They later qualified for the quarterfinals, following a 0-0 draw with Honduras at home. However, the Boyz again fell to the US over two legs, 5-2 on aggregate.
Reggae Girlz
In a year when there were no international competitions for the Reggae Girlz, the team played a series of friendlies, starting with two games at home against Chile in February.
Director of football Wendell Downswell oversaw the two matches as the Jamaica Football Federation had not yet found a replacement for the departed World Cup coach Lorne Donaldson. The Reggae Girlz played the matches without their main players from the 2023 World Cup, who declined selection until the federation fulfilled all financial remuneration owed to them.
In March, Chung confirmed that the federation had paid all outstanding debts to the Girlz, who then started making themselves available for selection.
In May, Hubert Busby Jr was recalled as head coach of the national senior women’s team after nearly three years.
There was some controversy surrounding the reappointment of Busby, who was accused of sexual misconduct by former Vancouver Whitecaps player Malloree Enoch while he was in charge of the Whitecaps women’s team in 2010 and 2011. Chung, however, declared that Busby was cleared of all the allegations of misconduct by FIFA’s Ethic Committee and should not suffer because of the accusation.
A month later, Busby took charge for the first time for two games against World Cup opponents Brazil in Brazil.
The Girlz lost both matches 4-0 as the South Americans took revenge for Jamaica, knocking them out at the World Cup at the group stage.
The Girlz then travelled to France in October to face a French team also bent on revenge after Jamaica drew 0-0 against them at the World Cup against all odds to gain a historic qualification for the second round.
The Girlz ended the year with two friendlies against South Africa in November and December. The games also marked the return of striker Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who had not played for the Girlz since September 2023.
Shaw, the top scorer in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), netted a brace on her return in a 3-0 win. Jamaica clipped the visitors 3-2 in the second game.
Shaw was also the WSL Player of the Season for 2024 and a Ballon d’Or nominee.
Youth Boyz
The national under-14 team captured its first international trophy, winning the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys U14 Challenge Series, with a 7-1 demolition of French Guiana in the final held in Trinidad and Tobago in August.
The young Reggae Boyz ended the competition with a six-game win streak, scoring 25 goals and conceding only twice.
Youth Girlz
Jamaica under-15 Reggae Girlz were not as successful as their under-14 counterparts. They suffered some heavy losses at the Concacaf Under-15 Championship, including an 11-0 loss to the USA and 4-0 defeats by El Salvador and Costa Rica. However, they did beat Haiti 2-1 for their lone win of the tournament.
JFF Elections
Michael Ricketts was re-elected as president of the JFF, following elections in March. Ricketts defeated challenger Raymond Anderson 39-17.
However, this was after an eventful and contentious campaign. The election, which was first slated to be held in January, was delayed due to a court injunction brought by Beach Soccer Jamaica (BSJ).
The Pat Garel-led BSJ disputed the legitimacy of a newly formed organisation (Beach Football Association of Jamaica) as a member of the JFF.
BSJ took the matter to court and although an injunction delayed the election, it was eventually dismissed, and Ricketts went on a claim a second term.
BSJ’s aim was to be accepted as the true representatives of beach football, which would allow them voting rights over Beach Football Jamaica Limited (BFJL) at the voting congress. BSJ supported Anderson.
Leon Bailey
Early last year, top forward Leon Bailey, who plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, appeared on the ‘To Be Honest’ podcast on YouTube and said he was taking a break from the national team. He pointed to several issues, including lack of security while on national duty and unprofessionalism from the JFF.
In June, Hallgrimsson named Bailey in his Copa America squad, but both the player and his manager, Craig Butler, declared that he would not be joining the squad for the tournament.
In response, the JFF suspended the selection of Bailey. However, he was given a clean slate when McClaren took over as the coach in late July, following Hallgrimsson’s resignation.
Bailey made his return to the squad in November in the Nations League quarterfinal against the USA.
Local competitions
Cavalier became champions of the Jamaica Premier League for a third time in May after defeating Mount Pleasant FA 4-3 on penalties in the final at the National Stadium. The teams had played to a 1-1 at the end of regulation and extra time
The Rudolph Speid-coached Cavalier then went on to crown themselves regional champions for the first time in their history in December. Cavalier beat Cibao of the Dominican Republic 1-0 in the first leg in Jamaica. The Jamaican team lost the second leg 2-1 but took the title by virtue of the away goal rule.
Chapelton Maroons returned to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) in June, after an extra-time 2-1 win over regular season champions and title favourites Racing United in the final of the Jamaica Football Championship (Tier II) at the UWI/JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
Kingston College
In urban schoolboy football, the famed purples of North Street, Kingston College, ruled the roost as they defeated first time finalists St Catherine High 3-1 for the Manning Cup.
The Vassell Reynolds-coached team then turned back Garvey Maceo 4-3 in sudden-death penalties after the two teams played out a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time and were 3-3 after regular penalties to claim the Olivier Shield as well.
In the daCosta Cup final, Garvey Maceo High scored a dramatic late equaliser before clinching the title 5-3 on penalties over first-time finalists McGrath High.
Outgoing Manning Cup Champions Mona High took home the Walker Cup after a 4-1 win over Excelsior.
The rural equivalent, the Ben Francis Cup, went to St Elizabeth Technical, who beat former winners Clarendon College 3-1 in the final.
Kingston College were also urban area under-14 champions after a 1-0 win over North Street rivals St George’s College.
St Andrew Technical (STATHS) won the under-16 title after a similar 1-0 win over Excelsior.
Manning’s School won the rural area under-16 competition after coming from two goals down to beat Clarendon College 3-2.
In the under-14 decider, Glenmuir, with a last-minute strike from Tristan Francis, defeated Manchester High 1-0.
In the all-island finals, Kingston College beat Glenmuir 3-0 (U14), and STATHS whipped defeated Manning’s 7-0 (U16).
Schoolgirls’ football
In April, Excelsior won their eighth straight title after a comprehensive 9-1 win Holmwood Technical 9-1 in the final at the Stadium East field
The start of the 2024 Jamaica Women’s Premier League was in doubt for some time following the late withdrawal of two teams, which disrupted the opening week of the competition.
The withdrawal of Rangers from St Mary and Royal Lakes of St Catherine caused widespread confusion regarding the match fixtures and venues.
Nevertheless, Frazsiers Whip went on to retain the title after defeating Arnett Gardens 9-0 at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in July.
In August, the St Catherine-based club became the first local female team to participate in the Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup. However, they lost all four games, conceding 30 goals and scoring one.
English (US) ·