JFF on board with Women’s Gold Cup

Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) General Secretary Dalton Wint says that the return of a Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup tournament is among the main goals for their proposal of increasing the number of games in the international calendar for women’s football.

FIFA accepted the JFF’s proposal at the 71st FIFA Congress last week to conduct a “comprehensive consultation process” for having more tournaments for the women’s game at the club and international levels, which includes the creation of a Women’s Club World Cup.

Wint says that a more refined continental tournament for the region has been one of the objectives for the Concacaf executive, and says that those plans could be finalised by next year.

“The study is being done but the Women’s Gold Cup is something that our Concacaf president (Victor Montagliani) has insisted on,” Wint told The Gleaner. “He wants it to happen and it is something that we are working on.”

The Concacaf Women’s Championship is the region’s main tournament which is often used as a qualifier for the Women’s World Cup. It was previously known as the Women’s Gold Cup in the years 2000, 2002, and 2006. While other confederations have their own tournaments which are also used as World Cup qualifiers, Europe has a separate tournament for that purpose apart from their continental competition, which is the norm for the men’s game.

National women’s coach Xavier Gilbert says that most confederations will apply similar methods for the women’s game in due course. However, he is pleased that a Women’s Gold Cup is being considered as it will raise the standard of the senior women’s national team, and make the region more competitive.

“Eventually, it will get there, but for now, this is a big step and I think eventually most teams or most confederations will be going,” Gilbert said. “But for now, I think it is good (to have a Women’s Gold Cup). We need to have more tournaments available for the international window, both at the junior level and at the senior level.”

Concacaf made changes to this year’s women’s international window in December to increase the number of competitions, which include a revamped Women’s World Cup qualifying format, as well as the introduction of the Women’s Nations League which starts in 2023.

Wint says that even with changes implemented regionally, he hopes that the JFF’s accepted proposal will help to close the gap between the women’s and men’s game by expanding the number of games played in a calendar year.

“The women’s game is behind the men so we are trying everything we can so the (women) can catch up to the men. So having more games, having more competitions will accelerate the goals that we have,” Wint said.

The Reggae Girlz will play Nigeria and reigning world champions the United States of America on June 10 and June 13, respectively, marking their return to competitive action since February 2020.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com