Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz will meet England for the very first time this Sunday at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, yet the historic billing arrives with a stark caveat: head coach Hubert Busby Jr. must navigate the occasion without nearly half of his established core.
Eight regular starters—including goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, midfield marshal Drew Spence and, most painfully, captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw—are unavailable after gruelling club campaigns and untimely injuries.
“Frustrating” gaps, measured resolve
“Yes, it is frustrating not to have a lot of our experienced players,” Busby conceded at Tuesday’s Jamaica Football Federation press conference. “But it offers opportunities for players to come up. The reality is that you have to extract the positives.”
He doubled down on that balancing act when pressed about October’s Concacaf W Qualifiers:
“At the end of the day, we are missing players, but what happens if we’re missing players in October when things are out of our control?”
Managing limited resources
Busby’s plan is two-fold:
- Accelerate Learning: “Now… we’ve given experience to our younger players who have that exuberance and excitement… Yes, they are going to sometimes make mistakes, but they’re growing.”
- Maintain tactical consistency: The staff will keep the team’s 4-2-3-1 structure intact so the newcomers slot into familiar roles rather than forcing wholesale philosophical change.
Training began in Leicester on Tuesday morning. “Everyone is happy, and everyone is ready to go… I’m sure by the end of the week, they’ll be raring to go,” Busby reported.
Why Bunny Shaw is still absent
Shaw, scorer of 38 international goals, is still rehabilitating the foot injury that ended her Manchester City season in March.
“Bunny is still out… The programme for her with Man City is to get back healthy… It is very rare that clubs allow players coming back from those sorts of long-term injuries for their first match to be with the national team,” Busby explained.
All parties agree that her priority is a full pre-season with City before re-entering Jamaica’s line-up for World Cup qualification.
Facing England after a brutal year of tests
In the last 12 months, Jamaica has played four top-10 nations. “Without a doubt, we’ve played the toughest schedule in Concacaf… But we haven’t shied away from people,” Busby noted.
Sunday, therefore, serves as another barometer of depth, fitness, and mental resilience before competitive action resumes in the autumn.
Squad:
Goalkeepers – Liya Brooks, Serena Mensah, Aliyah Morgan
Defenders – Allyson Swaby, Chantelle Swaby, Tiffany Cameron, Naya Cardoza, Amelia Van Zanten, Nyema Ingleton
Midfielders – Atlanta Primus, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Vyan Sampson, Jade Bailey, Jade Mitchell
Forwards – Kayla McKenna, Kameron Simmonds, Kalyssa Van Zanten, Reanna Blades, Natasha Thomas, Ricshya Walker
