'I want to go to France, too' - Mother of Reggae Girlz star hoping to join team at World Cup

When the Reggae Girlz secured their historic qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup on Wednesday, Lucille Hamilton couldn't help but let out a loud scream of joy at her home in Arnett Gardens in Kingston. "We are going to France, we are going to France!"

The thought of a Jamaican women's team playing in the World Cup has long been harboured in Hamilton's household as her daughter, Trudi Carter, who is a member of the team, had expressed the desire of playing on football's biggest stage since she was a little girl.

And now that the thought has become a reality, Hamilton is hoping to share the experience with Carter in France next year.

"I would love to make the trip to France," Hamilton said. "She always talked about playing in the World Cup and I can't believe that she is going now but I would want to go to watch her play."

According to Hamilton, Carter developed a love for football when she was a student at Jones Town Primary School.

"When she was going to Jones Town, she always played football with the boys," she recalled. "If I wanted to find her after school, all I would have to do is go wherever the boys were playing, and I would find her."

She continued: "She has a cousin, and she even used to go to his school to play with those boys.

Special love

"She always had a special love for football, and she invested a lot of time and hard work in it , and I am happy to see that she is going to the World Cup because that is where she always wanted to be."

While Hamilton wants to make the trip to France, she admitted that her finances at this time will not allow her to afford the trip. She is hoping Corporate Jamaica will make her dream of watching her daughter play in France.

"I would take all the help that I can get right now," Hamilton said. "Not just me but other mothers who would want to watch their daughters play in the World Cup."

Carter, who attended Trench Town High School, dreams of becoming a professional football player. The dreams are is also close to becoming reality as she has attracted the attention of AS Roma and is on the brink of signing a deal with the Italian club's women's team.

The Reggae Girlz became the first women's team from the Caribbean to qualify for a FIFA tournament when they beat Panama 4-2 on penalties in the CONCACAF Women's Championships third-place playoff on Wednesday. The teams had played to a 2-2 draw after full and extra time.