Bunny Shaw: Jamaica's fairytale rise hides grim realities

"If I were in Jamaica right now, I wouldn't waste my time trying to play football. There's nothing going on."

It's a brutal statement from Khadija "Bunny" Shaw.

Considering the growth in women's football across the past decade, and Jamaica's astonishing development to qualify for two consecutive World Cups, there should be reason for optimism.

But the Jamaican goal-machine isn't here to paint a rosy picture of the country's future in women's football. Shaw knows that there's only one way to instigate meaningful change.

"Honestly, it's actually incredible how far we've come. And it's sad, too, to see the federation do nothing with our achievement," Shaw told DW earlier this year.

"There's not a lot of opportunities for females in Jamaica. And I have to be vocal about this, because people need to know about what's happening and what needs to be done."

Shaw's harsh words come from a feeling of frustration and responsibility. She knows it doesn't bring anything to sugar-coat the grim realities.

Shaw says the team has often been left under-resourced for training camps, while the grassroots level remains unorganized and the women's national league isn't even semi-professional. Jamaica were forced into collecting almost $100,000 in fundarising campaigns to help cover costs to travel to Australia for the 2023 World Cup. 

"When I was growing up, a lot more young girls would play football than there is now," she says.

"We qualified for the World Cup and there's nothing in Jamaica to say congratulations. To say, thanks, what an amazing job. No billboards. No anything. It's just... nothing."

A marketer's dream role model

At the same time, Shaw takes her status as a role model for the next generation very seriously.

"It's a great feeling when they use me as an example. You know, I had one pair of shorts, one pair of shoes. I used my school shoes to play football. And now I'm here," she says.

Off the field, Shaw has faced more personal hardship than most, including losing three of her brothers to gang violence and a fourth in a car accident. But she's overcome those hurdles to become one of the most feared strikers in the Women's Super League with Manchester City.

Growing up playing on the streets with boys in Spanish Town, she explains how it's almost a miracle that she managed to find her way to the top of professional football.

"My mum would say, 'you're wasting your time, female football isn't going anywhere'. And looking back, it was definitely pointless. There wasn't even a senior team. The challenge was to convince my mum that I could actually be the one to make a change in Jamaica."

Picked out by overseas scouts while playing for Jamaica's youth team, Shaw described herself as "one of the lucky ones". She was given a scholarship at Eastern Florida State College before attracting the attention of the University of Tennessee.

"If someone from overseas hadn't seen me and mentioned me, I'd probably still be in Jamaica."

Redemption song

Women's football in Jamaica was almost non-existent when Shaw was a girl, with the national team having been disbanded in 2010. That was until Cedella Marley, daughter of music legend Bob Marley, intervened four years later.

With no support or funding from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Marley attracted sponsors, instigated fundraising campaigns and even set up a GoFundMe for the players.

"I'll always give thanks to Cedella Marley. She came in and changed everything. The way people view female football, the way we deserve to be treated. Sometimes all you need is a chance, and she gave us that chance," Shaw says.

"No one would've looked eight years on and said that we'd be on our way to our second consecutive World Cup."

World Cup brings new opportunities

Jamaica's first qualification for the 2019 World Cup in France was truly against all odds.

"When people ask me how we got to the World Cup, I look back and I can't even explain it," Shaw says.

"We just showed up and qualified. We didn't have any training camps, there was no preparation. Nothing. So to be honest, we were just buzzing to be there."

The majority of Jamaica's squad were playing either in college or high school. At 21, Shaw was considered one of the more experienced players.

"We probably had two players that were professional. So that exposure to those crowds, being in that environment, it was definitely eye-opening for us."

That summer transformed Shaw's trajectory as she moved to Bordeaux and smashed in 32 goals in just 35 games across two seasons.

A move to Manchester City followed in 2021, where she's raised her game yet again. After netting nine goals in her debut season, she trumped that tally this campaign with 20 goals in 22 WSL matches.

The next step Down Under

Jamaica and Shaw head into the 2023 World Cup with a lot more confidence. The team under Lorne Donaldson aims to keep possession and stream forward with attacking verve.

With her speed, vision, touch and lethal finishing, Shaw is the perfect striker to lead the line. And she believes the team is ready to cause some upsets in a group which includes Brazil and France.

"We believe our best is good enough at the end of the day. We have goals, we want to come out of the group stages," she says. "We're underdogs, yeah, but we've been there before and we can't look at it that way. When we cross that line we're equal with our opponents at the end of the day."

'It starts with the federation'

Still, Shaw remains one of few in the team that was actually born on the island nation. Most of the squad are born in either North America or the United Kingdom, highlighting the need to develop the grassroots game in Jamaica. A recent training camp used to analyse the country's brightest young talent was filled almost entirely with foreign-born players.

"If there's no pathway for them, it's pointless. If I was in Jamaica with a kid, I wouldn't want them to get involved in female football because there's nothing happening," Shaw laments.

"There's no exposure. There's no one there to take notice of them, whether they're talented or not. So there's no chance for them to get out.

"There's so much that needs to be done. Everything you can think of. And it starts with the federation, because everything goes through them."

The women's national league only just returned after a three-year hiatus while the youth system revolves around high-school teams. The JFF is also struggling to support both the women's and men's national teams. It had to publically apologize when Shaw and her teammates missed a flight due to reported funding issues, directly after Jamaica qualified for the 2023 World Cup.

But their qualification did help negotiate a sponsorship deal with Adidas, showing just how valuable the women's team is to the country's future in football.

"I'm hopeful, I'll use that word," Shaw says. "I always try to empower others and embrace the opportunities, and encourage everyone in the Caribbean. Because I think eventually something's got to give. If I have to be the one to stand up and say, this is what needs to happen, then so be it. We're just trying to do it for the younger girls growing up."

Edited by: Matt Pearson