Cedella Marley's Reggae Girlz Documentary and Soundtrack Put Jamaica's Women's Football Team Center Stage

Cedella Marley has spent a decade in Jamaica’s women’s football orbit, and now she’s bringing the whole story to screens.“Reggae Girlz,”the documentary she executive produced, follows the national team through their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup run. It streams on major platforms beginning Oct. 27, and it’s co-directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton. Alongside the World Cup journey, the film captures the team’s fights over pay and support, including the boycotts players staged to push the Jamaica Football Federation for real backing.

The soundtrack is its own headline. Marley curated nine Marley family tracks plus“For the Love of the Game”by Jamaican player Tiffany Cameron, who balances football with a music career. Proceeds from the limited-edition vinyl go to the Reggae Girlz Foundation fund, so the music directly supports the team it celebrates. As Marley put it, she wanted the music to reflect these women’s journey while reminding people where they come from and where they’re going.

There’s context that makes all of this land harder: Jamaica is the first Caribbean team of any gender to qualify for two consecutive World Cups, and those milestones came while the squad was advocating for better treatment. Marley’s takeaway is that women’s football has to listen to the athletes and change the structures that hold them back, from grassroots to the pro level. Are you streaming it on release day, or waiting for the weekend? Tell us in the comments.