This is a golden summer of women’s sport for the Caribbean. The West Indies are in England taking on cricket’s reigning World Champions. Jamaica's football team, the Reggae Girlz, have just kicked off their inaugural World Cup campaign, the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the tournament. And the country’s netball team, the Sunshine Girls, will embark on their own hunt for silverware once the World Cup gets underway in Liverpool next month.
But Stafanie Taylor, the West Indies cricket captain, is not optimistic about the opportunities for women's sport in the region. “I’m not,” asserts Jamaica-born Taylor, “I’m not,” recalling a lack of support for the Reggae Girlz at the start of her country’s campaign to qualify for the 2019 football World Cup.
“There was no media, no support and no structure for female development. But now that the Reggae Girlz have created history [by qualifying], and now that they are in a World Cup, everyone feels like they need to be on the bandwagon. But there was no support at the start.”
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In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com
I feel for her, and it's unfortunate. But this isn't the US or England or Australia where women's team sports can easily snap up corporate support etc and get the country's backing on a large scale.
Can CWI do more to promote their women's programme?
success breeds support, support will follow success.
Theres comparatively little corporate or fan support for table tennis, mens or womens in the region too. Table tennis is but one example. Same
Can be said for swimming, volleyball, basketball etc
International Womens cricket and football are just over a decade in existence in the region. They just magically expect to receive the same support because theyre playing those sports? Doesnt work like that.
These ladies are among the pioneers in their sport and like all pioneers, they go through hardship. Perseverance will yield its own rewards. They might not be the ones to reap those rewards, but future generations will.
In reply to camos
success breeds support, support will follow success.
It's as simple as that. What's next? The "wage gap" is "unfair"?