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Girl power! - WATA provides young female ­footballers support for Reggae Girlz

Published:Saturday | May 25, 2019 | 12:08 AM
‘Lets Go Reggae Girlz’. WATA sponsored schoolgirl footballers sent a powerful message to Jamaica’s senior female football team on Sunday at the National Stadium. Over 500 schoolgirl footballers and their coaches attended the match with the support of WATA.
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‘Lets Go Reggae Girlz’. WATA sponsored schoolgirl footballers sent a powerful message to Jamaica’s senior female football team on Sunday at the National Stadium. Over 500 schoolgirl footballers and their coaches attended the match with the support of WATA.

According the Jamaica Football Federation, last Sunday’s crowd at the National Stadium was the largest to date for a Reggae Girlz match in Jamaica. The crowd included over 500 schoolgirl footballers and their coaches who travelled across the island, courtesy of WATA, to attend and support the Reggae Girlz as they took on Panama in their final home game before competing in their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

Jamaica defeated the Panamanians 3-1, while the enthusiastic and adoring fans, including the players from the just concluded ISSA Schoolgirl Football Competition, cheered them on while celebrating each goal.

Before the match began, the schoolgirl footballers were treated to a ‘WATA Girlz Football Showcase’ which featured a nutrition talk by Kamila McDonald who stressed the importance of hydration, good nutrition, adequate sleep and a winning attitude, to good performance on the field. The interactive session included a display of football skills and a test of the knowledge of the schoolgirl footballers of the Reggae Girlz’s exploits on the way to qualifying for the World Cup, among other activities.

The urban area cohort represented consists of this year’s champions Excelsior High School, runners-up Denham Town High, Wolmer’s Girls, Meadowbrook High, Clan Carthy High, Merl Grove High, Pembroke Hall High, St Andrew Technical, Edith Dalton James High, Penwood High and Campion College.

The other schools came from parishes across the island from as far as Frome Technical in Westmoreland, Spot Valley in St James, St Elizabeth Technical, Holmwood Technical, Christiana High, and Mile Gully High out of Manchester. St Catherine was well represented with quarter-finalists Jonathan Grant, Old Harbour High, and Spanish Town High. St Mary Technical, Kemps Hill and Garvey Maceo were also in attendance.

According to Wisynco’s Senior Marketing and Public Relations Manager Tamara Ward, “The WATA Football Showcase is all about Girl Power! We are celebrating the achievements of our Reggae Girlz and the dedication of our ISSA Schoolgirls football teams to sports. We intended to inspire the ladies through a fun and healthy social interaction amongst their peers that builds confidence, team spirit, motivates them to make the right decisions, and find balance in their nutrition habits. We are thrilled to have made this ­experience possible.”