Fundraising woes threaten Jamaica’s women’s lacrosse world championship bid

The Jamaican women’s under-20 lacrosse team faces a major obstacle as its fundraising efforts struggle to reach their targets. Head coach Taylor Irwin has expressed concerns that the team may miss out on the 2024 World Women’s Lacrosse U20 Championship due to a lack of funds.

The team needs to raise US$26,000 (J$4,061,389.80) by August 1 to compete in the tournament in Hong Kong from August 15 to 24. Their fundraising campaign, aptly named “Every Mickle Mek A Muckle,” is designed to ensure the team can make the crucial 10-day journey to the tournament.

“It’s been very slow. I wish I could hear more good news that we’ve reached our goal, but we’re still $26,000 short, and that’s a lot of money,” Irving said. “We have to pay it by Aug. 1 or my girls won’t be able to play, and it’s heartbreaking to think about it. We all believe that there’s someone out there who’s got our backs and is helping us reach our goal.”

Fundraising is slow

Despite the slow progress in fundraising, Owen noted that the players remain optimistic and focused in training as the team is in its final training camp ahead of group matches against teams from Hong Kong, England, Japan and Ireland.

“We have done a lot of preparation this year to compete in the World Championships. Although we are still working on raising money, the girls are training every day and they train hard and give their best effort no matter what the situation,” added Irving.

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Irving thanked those who have already contributed to the fundraiser and encouraged others to support the team on its journey. With just two weeks left until the deadline, the sense of urgency is palpable.

“We are so grateful for the donations from our sponsors and this campaign we have. Really, every little bit counts and we are so grateful. We are slowly chipping away at what we have left,” she said.

Second appearance

This will be Jamaica’s second appearance at the Women’s U20 Championship, having made their debut in 2019, finishing 21st out of 22 participating teams. Erwin is confident of a better performance this time around, which he attributes to the team’s focus on mastering the fundamentals of lacrosse.

“It’s a completely different team, as far as how they interact with each other,” she explained. “I think one thing we did with this team was take a step toward teaching the fundamentals. Stick handling, conditioning, all the fundamentals of lacrosse. We go back and make sure we have it perfect before the game. Once we can outrun anybody and keep the puck in our sticks, then we’re 100 times better.”

There remains hope and determination for the Jamaican women’s under-20 lacrosse team as they unite to achieve their dream of a world championship.